Just Say Yes
by firerose9318
Summary: Several people have accused Gray of being 'in love' with Lucy. But what happens when Lucy herself decides to ask him? It's a surprisingly bumpy road, filled with cake and horse pajamas, just to get the answer. GrayxLucy, GrayLu
1. Lucy's List

**A/N:** Hello everyone! I'm in the middle of watching Fairy Tail and I really love the Gray/Lucy pairing. I know that the show going towards Lucy/Natsu and Gray/Juvia but it's too late, I've already fallen for this ship. Please forgive any inconsistencies since I haven't finished the show or read the manga, and feel free to place this story wherever you want.

* * *

 **I. Lucy's List**

It all started when she took her notebook out of her room.

Lucy usually wrote at her desk. It was a comfort zone - the place she penned frequent letters to her deceased mother and drafted many chapters of her novels. Today though, she wanted a change of scenery. She was writing at her favorite place in the world, the Fairy Tail guild hall.

She sat on the floor with her back against a barrel of ale and her knees folded up, holding her notebook in her lap. The majority of people in the building were currently eating lunch or browsing the job boards. For the most part, nobody bothered her as she scribbled furiously, tuning out the ring of cordial chatter. She didn't even notice the ink flying out of her pen and splattering on her nose. Suddenly, a familiar voice brought her back to her senses.

"Oh, Lucy!" sang the voice. She looked up and saw it was Mirajane, waving at her from behind the bar. "So sorry to interrupt, but could I ask you something?"

"Mira! Sure, I'll be right there" Lucy paused her writing and joined her at the bar, plopping down her pen and notebook. Mirajane was holding an enormous, Cana-worthy mug of ale. She set the mug down and nudged it towards Lucy.

"Lucy, you never answered my question from before" Mirajane pouted.

"Um, what question?" asked Lucy, taking a sip. She racked her brains for what they could have talked about. Friends, quests, Sorcerer Weekly...

"Don't you think Gray loves you?"

"I...um...he...what?!" Lucy stammered, dribbling ale down her chin. "That was such a long time ago! I thought we went over this!" She couldn't believe Mirajane bought up the subject so out of the blue. It suddenly occurred to her that the ale was a bribe.

"Oh, you said something about not wanting to go through that again. I thought that meant you had already asked him about it" she said smiling innocently. "So what do you think? You two would be so cute!"

"There's no way Mira!" she protested. Damn right she didn't want to go through a whole day like that again! She'd fooled herself into thinking Natsu was secretly in love with her when he literally just wanted to dig a hole. By the end of that day, she wanted to shove herself in a hole out of sheer embarrassment. "Where is this even coming from? We're just friends!"

"Come on Lucy, look at him! He's so dreamy" she said, staring at the spot at the far end of the guild hall. Lucy turned her head to see, and Gray was sitting at a window table, playing cards with Loke. He was actually wearing a shirt today but he'd unbuttoned it all the way down, exposing his perfect abs. The sunlight streaked across his whole body and illuminated his raven black hair. There was no way around it, he was attractive.

She turned back to Mira and sighed. "Alright, he's objectively good looking, but I don't know where you got the idea from that he likes me"

"Juvia seems to think so too."

"Are you serious?! That's Juvia being jealous, she'd accuse Gray of being in love with his own chair since his ass is touching it-"

"And didn't Happy say you guys were in love too?" interrupted Mirajane.

"Oh gosh, that's because Gray was being protective. Even Virgo said we were in love" said Lucy, making air quotes around the 'in love' part.

"That's another one! And what about your other celestial spirits, the twins? Didn't they read his character?"

"Gemini?" she asked, surprised. "Wait, how do you know about that one, you weren't even - "

"And now you're hearing it from me. I've noticed him flirting and whispering with you all the time" Mirajane smiled again and clasped her hands together under her chin. "That's five people that have accused Gray of loving you. Six if you count each twin. I really believe it's something to consider Lucy"

Lucy faltered. She didn't have any more comebacks. Mirajane did have a point, that it was five times, five different people who thought there was something between her and Gray. She clutched her notebook tightly. Maybe writing down reasons why Gray would like her would help. She could rationalize their comments and see if the words had any merit.

"Alright, Mira...I will acknowledge everyone's opinion...I need time to think it over though" she said. She grabbed a few empty, wooden ale mugs and created a wall around her notebook with them. "Don't peek, alright?"

"Ooh, are you going to write it down?" asked Mirajane.

"Only because it helps me sort out how I feel". Then she glanced around, to see if Gray or anyone else was nearby. "And promise me you won't tell anyone we discussed this."

Mirajane smiled and nodded. She understood that Lucy liked to keep her work private. "I won't even peek" she promised. "But make sure you wipe that ink off your nose before talking to Gray!" She winked and went back to her bartending duties, leaving Lucy to write her thoughts alone.

Lucy opened her notebook to a fresh page and picked up her black pen. She preferred writing novels, but there was no reason you couldn't add a little embellishment to a list.

She took a giant gulp of ale and began...

* * *

 **"Reasons why Gray Fullbuster (gifted ice mage and owner of the best abs in Magnolia) could like Lucy HeartFilia (newcomer blonde celestial wizard)"**

"Reason #1: Juvia and Lucy are 'love rivals"

 _Lucy remembered the day Juvia decided to join Fairy Tail. Those that didn't know about her fight with Gray were confused, to say the least, on why she would join the very guild Phantom Four wanted to defeat. Once Gray offered her a second chance, there was no doubt about it - she would take root wherever he was._

 _Little did Gray know, his kind invitation to Juvia would cripple her progress indefinitely. Sure, she needed a new home after her own guild's breakdown. But when Lucy joined Fairy Tail, she also wanted to advance herself as a mage. Juvia, on the other hand, seemed to not care about any quests unless they involved Gray. Lucy estimated that Juvia spent eighty percent of her time stalking her crush, fifteen percent of her time threatening every woman who dared to go near him, and only five percent training._

 _The day she joined, the water woman had bowed her head in apology to Lucy, and asked for forgiveness. At the time, she seemed well-meaning and Lucy believed they would be friends very soon. The next encounter was much different. She was eating a sandwich and reading a magazine at one of the guild hall tables when Juvia came up to her. Her face seemed more determined this time like she was not about to ask but to inform._

 _"Miss Lucy," said Juvia. "I have something important to talk about"_

 _"What's up Juvia?" asked Lucy. Her hands twitched and she placed her sandwich down._

 _"Juvia would like to know your relationship with Gray because Juvia is determined to win his heart from you"_

 _"Oh, me and Gray are just good friends!" Lucy responded, waving her hands in a 'no' pattern. "I'm not trying to win his heart"_

 _Juvia shook her head in firm disagreement. "Juvia believes you have already won it...she knows a love rival when she sees one. Gray would do anything for Lucy. Gray even said he would not hand her over even if he dies..." Juvia went quiet and clenched her hand, causing water to drip from it to the ground._

 _"Look, I don't want to be rivals-wait, he would die for me?" She paused and let her comment register in her mind. It was not a surprising trait from Gray, but Lucy felt touched that he cared about her so much when she hadn't been in his life for long at all._

 _"Will Lucy back off of Gray, for Juvia?" she asked. She spoke with such force that Lucy was afraid to say no._

 _She drew a big breath. She didn't want to make any enemies at Fairy Tail, and she truly wanted Juvia to feel at home. But Lucy was also not about to let Juvia intimidate her into cutting ties with one of her best friends, solely because of jealousy._

 _"Look Juvia...I'm not going to stop spending time with Gray for anyone. I like going on missions with him and talking to him and hanging out with him in the guild." She paused, gauging if Juvia was ready to drown her yet, and decided to continue. "If he wants to date you...he's going to have to realize that path on his own"_

 _It seemed like a whole century passed before Juvia finally responded. "Juvia thought you might say something like that" she spoke in a low, soft voice. "Then, Juvia must do everything in her power to make Gray choose her. Gray will belong to Juvia"_

 _"That's...that's fine...as long as it's what he wants. I think we're on the same page now, right?" said Lucy. She wasn't actually so sure. Juvia seemed to think of Gray as a possession that would make her cloudy days disappear instead of a person. She could only hope everyone would come to respect one another. She cautiously extended her hand forward. "Friends?"_

 _Juvia unclenched her hand, which was now covered in water droplets, and shook Lucy's. "Friends. And love rivals". Lucy locked eyes with her steely gaze and knew their friendship would evaporate if she ever dated Gray._

 _"Ok whatever, love rivals" she shrugged. Juvia had locked in her decision, and there was no way to escape her fate. Lucy couldn't help it if she was a contender. "May the best girl win" she joked._

 _It was the wrong thing to say. Juvia took her comment like a bullet straight to the heart. The blue haired water mage slammed her fists on the table, making water splashes when they connected._

 _"She WILL win! Juvia will NOT go back!" cried Juvia. Heads turned to watch both of them as her loud declaration echoed through the guild hall. Then Juvia gathered herself and her pride and stormed out of the building to search for Gray._

She had her first reason, but it was based on one woman's judgment. She also needed opinions from people who didn't have insane imaginations. Underneath 'love rivals' she wrote 'part of the circle of people Gray would die for'. Sure, that was flattering, but who knows how big that circle was? Gray had a noticeable self-sacrifice streak, as she'd witnessed firsthand on Galuna Island.

Love rivals. Why was she a love rival, and not Erza? She had no doubts Gray cared deeply for Erza as well as his other friends. Why did Juvia continuously get jealous of her? Maybe the other people Mirajane mentioned would give her a hint.

Lucy cringed when she remembered the next entry wasn't even a person, it was Natsu's cat.

"Reason 2: Gray is protective of Lucy"

 _Gray offered to walk home with Lucy the night he heard she had a stalker. Despite the objections from Natsu and Happy wanting to come along, he turned and ignored them, putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder._

 _"Well goodbye then! And don't even think about trying something you perv!" Natsu called out after them. "Let's go Happy". The pair walked away, muttering._

 _"Come on Lucy," said Gray, gently steering her forward with his hand still on her shoulder as she looked back at Natsu and Happy. They left the two behind and walked slowly in her apartment's direction. The only things left were their footsteps echoing in the night, and dark clouds eclipsing a bright full moon behind them. Lucy realized that they were alone, and could felt her face getting warm for some reason. She turned her head a little so Gray couldn't see._

 _"Gray...thank you for watching out for me today" She truly appreciated his concern for her safety, and that she didn't even ask him to do it. She was grateful that it was dark out and he couldn't see how warm her cheeks felt._

 _"No problem Lu" he responded. She didn't see his reaction because she was still too embarrassed to look._

 _They continued walking in silence. Lucy dared to peek back at Gray. He was fixated on watching for her supposed stalker. Every so often he would shift his head in a new direction, watching for more potential threats. Lucy noticed he seemed to be looking in every direction but hers. No sooner had the thought popped into her head when his dark blue eyes landed on her brown ones. He froze, like someone who was caught in the act, then looked away and began to walk faster._

 _"Come on, the sooner I get you home the better" He continued walking at an even brisker pace, not looking in Lucy's direction anymore._

 _Lucy chuffed behind, feeling disappointed for some reason. Did he want to be rid of her so quickly? Her heart sunk with every block they finished running. At the third block, she wished she could see more than the back of his head. At the fifth block, she contemplated stopping to see if he would notice the missing sound of her footsteps, but decided against it. Rounding the corner of the sixth block she almost opened her mouth to yell at him. After the seventh block, she'd had enough. She decided to tell him to slow down._

 _"Gray, can we-"_

 _He had already stopped. She caught up a few seconds later and saw her own front door. Their journey was already over. How did that seem so short?_

 _Gray put his hand on her shoulder again, this time gazing into her eyes. Lucy's eyes widened as he moved closer to her face., wondering if he was about to kiss her. She didn't even know if she could make it, she'd lost her breath three blocks ago._

 _"Lucy...you stay safe, alright? Don't hesitate to send for help" His eyes lingered on hers for a few seconds longer than necessary, then he let go of her._

 _"Thank you for everything Gray," she said, unable to hide the blush this time as the clouds broke and moonlight shone directly on her face. She turned to go inside her apartment and waved good night at him, half dejected and half relieved that nothing else happened. Gray was still watching intently._

 _"Good night Lu" she heard him say as she closed the door._

It definitely wasn't the only time Gray was extra protective. She remembered when he shielded her body from a swinging boat in Edolas when he had Happy carry her out of harm's way in Galuna Island. She drew a little caret between 'is' and 'protective' and added a single word- "Always"

It could just be watching out for her as a teammate. But Erza didn't shield her like that. Natsu had never followed her like that. And Gray had never refuted Happy's statement, just told him to scram. It could be something.

But it wasn't enough proof. Protectiveness also came with sibling bonds, and she needed evidence of a romantic bond.

"Reason #3: Gray considers Lucy attractive"

 _Laundry was such a boring chore. Lucy's clothes went through a lot of tears, mud, and magic attacks on their missions. She hated to see her favorite clothes get ruined, but going through her dirty clothes was tedious and depressing. So much so, that Lucy put it off until she woke up and didn't have a single outfit left._

 _"Crap" she muttered, wondering if she'd have to dig in her pile for the least dirty one. Maybe she could borrow some clothes from the celestial world like last time. She grabbed her set of keys and quickly found the golden one she was searching for._

 _"Open, gate of the maiden! Virgo!" A moment later, the pink-haired spirit was standing on her living room carpet._

 _"What can I do for you, Princess?" asked Virgo. She glanced around and did a double take when she saw the monstrous pile of dirty clothes that was in the corner. The laundry pile was so high she was sure she wouldn't even be able to reach the top._

 _"Ahh...I know this seems pretty trivial, but I was wondering if you could bring back some clothes from the celestial world again? I don't have any more clean clothes" asked Lucy. She saw a wave of relief wash over Virgo's face at not being asked to do laundry._

 _"Of course," said Virgo, nodding. "Miss Lucy, would you like to look at the celestial wardrobe? We have a rather large selection"_

 _"I get to raid the closet?" asked Lucy, her eyes brightening up. Virgo smiled and offered her hand. She took it and a flash of light later, they went through the gate to the celestial world._

 _Lucy opened her eyes to the biggest collection of clothes she had ever seen. There were tops and dresses of every color on hangers- some with dangerously plunging necklines, some with spaghetti straps so thin she was sure they would snap within a day. Below the tops hung pants and skirts that varied from 'short enough to be underwear' to 'long enough to swallow her whole'. The closet displayed every type of shoe possible in racks on the floor. She fantasied about being able to both fight and balance in the black stiletto heels nearest to her. Finally, there was a mirror that took up an entire wall on its own._

 _"This is amazing" she worded breathlessly. She picked up the high heels and held them to her chest. They were gorgeous, but she didn't want them to be another victim of guild roughhousing._

 _"Is there any type of clothing you were wishing for, in particular, Miss Lucy? Perhaps something Mister Gray would admire again? He was staring quite a bit at the outfit I lent you at the Tower of Heaven" said Virgo innocently._

 _Before Lucy could respond, she heard a familiar voice ring out from a wall of dresses._

 _"If you're wondering what clothes Gray would like to see Lucy in, the answer is 'none at all'" said a smirking Loke, stepping out of the shadows._

 _Lucy's jaw dropped. "Loke! What...what are you doing here?"_

 _Loke walked up next to Lucy, who was still clutching the black high heels. He was completely dressed to the nines in a dashing black suit, leather shoes, and a burgundy bow tie. "Who do you think picks out the clothes? Well, Cancer helped too. But he prefers working with hair"_

 _"Loke, don't tease her, most of your choices were for the men's closet," said Virgo, covering her giggling with her hand. "_

 _Lucy was still recovering from Loke's casual comment on Gray seeing her naked when Loke took a summery, spaghetti strap dress off a hanger and presented it to Virgo. It was a robin-egg blue instead of royal blue like she'd seen in most celestial outfits and had pleats from the waist down. "What do you think? Gray would like this one for sure"_

 _Lucy sputtered "I-what makes you think I pick my clothes for Gray? I want cute clothes for me! Not him!"_

 _"Well the man's a fan of your body, and he's one of my best friends, so...we might as well select clothes that highlight that body," he said, now picking up and examining a pair of stockings._

 _Lucy gave him a playful smack on the back for his debauchery. Loke didn't seem to mind though and handed both the blue dress and the stockings to Virgo. "Of course, if you're not seeing Gray today we could just give you a t-shirt and some pajama shorts," he said, pulling out shorts from a drawer. The shorts were rose pink and had a repeating pattern of horses that looked suspiciously a lot like Sagittarius._

 _"I believe our Princess will be too busy with her laundry" agreed Virgo. Lucy was so flustered at this point she was ready to take the ugliest outfit in the entire closet just to spite Loke. She grabbed the pajama shorts from him and a nearby turtleneck from the hangers. Turtlenecks were the least sexy clothes she could think of, and the only man who would be turned on by these horse pajamas was Sagittarius himself._

 _"Yeah, I've definitely learned my lesson" she muttered. One, don't procrastinate on laundry. Two, don't visit the celestial wardrobe while Loke was there unless she wanted to be teased mercilessly. She turned to Virgo and said "I've got my clothes; I'm ready to go"_

 _"If you're sure Princess," said Virgo, eyeing the Sagittarius pajamas doubtfully._

 _Loke put a hand on Lucy's shoulder and bowed his head. "I'm sorry Lucy. I didn't mean to take it that far. I really do like to help women feel beautiful"_

 _Lucy gazed back at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I...it's alright. Maybe I'll try that blue dress another time. I'm sure it was a good recommendation"_

 _A mischievous look returned to Loke's face as he said: "Did you know Gray has a thing for horses?"_

 _Lucy gave him the middle finger this time as he howled with laughter on the floor. She smiled and waved goodbye as she and Virgo walked back through the gate._

 _"Princess, is it time for punishment?" asked Virgo_

 _"Actually...yeah," said Lucy. Virgo's ears perked up and she held up a pair of handcuffs._

 _"Not that kind. Please go fetch me the detergent"_

Lucy was no stranger to having men stare at her. There were times when it got uncomfortable, like when that man was Ichiya or Dan Straight. But with Gray, she didn't mind at all. She knew that he respected her and that his compliments were nothing but sincere. In fact, it was a relief to remember that not every guy she attracted was a creep.

She was beginning to get an eerie feeling in her stomach that Mirajane was right.

When it was just one person's offhand comment, she ignored it. Now that she had all their opinions together, she was starting to believe her. The most convincing reason of all was the one she'd pushed to the back of her brain because it made her feel guilty.

"Reason 4: Gemini can relay people's thoughts."

 _Lucy's newest celestial spirit was entertaining her with facts about her fellow guildmates. So far she had learned she was Natsu's second favorite person to go on quests with (after Happy). In the process, Gemini-Natsu broke a vase while emulating Natsu's enthusiasm._

 _"Oh man, I love having Lucy on my team! She's gotten so good, and she got three new celestial spirits too! Gemini's my favorite!" said the Gemini-Natsu, prancing around her apartment._

 _Lucy cringed, looking at the broken vase shards all over her floor. "How about Erza?"_

 _Gemini flashed and in Natsu's place stood the scarlet-haired fighter. She closed her eyes and smiled, pointing a sword at the floor._

 _"Erza's thoughts about Lucy: Great potential. Faithful friend and teammate. Abuses her good looks. "_

 _"Hey! How do I abuse my looks?" Lucy protested._

 _Gemini-Ezra pointed her sword at her. "Seducing the enemy. It's a cop-out method. I want you to beat them to bits instead!"_

 _"Oh, don't pretend like you haven't done that too," she said, rolling her eyes._

 _"It's different. If seduction doesn't work for me, I can always kill a man with my bare hands. Here, let me show you how" Erza threw her sword aside and cracked her knuckles._

 _Lucy didn't want more collateral damage from Erza so she ordered Gemini to switch. A moment later, Gray appeared where she'd stood. He opened his palm and formed a small puff of magic. When the puff disappeared he held a single rose, created from ice._

 _"Gray's thoughts on Lucy..."_

 _Lucy gulped. "Wait, we've already done Gray. I don't want to...I mean, I've intruded his thoughts enough"_

 _"Oh, were you uncomfortable with the part where he was fond of your looks?" Gemini stepped closer to her, still holding the rose. She felt her face getting flushed. It somehow seemed wrong hearing thoughts like this. She needed to dismiss Gemini before it went any further._

 _"Or the part where he was interested in you?" Gemini smirked._

 _"I would rather hear that directly from him!"_

 _Gemini transformed again, this time into Lucy. Gemini-Lucy started twirling her blonde hair while real Lucy started back._

 _"Lucy's feelings about Gray. Brilliant ice-make wizard. Loyal friend. Looks are a plus. Wants him to directly tell her he's into her."_

 _Lucy shrieked and pointed her key at Gemini furiously._

 _"I'm not having you read my own mind, it's confusing in there as it is, thanks!"_

 _Still posed as herself, the twin spirits winked at Lucy. Then with a flash of light, they returned back to the celestial world._

The only reason for Gemini to have lied about Gray's thoughts was if the spirit had been trying to defeat her through the element of surprise. Then again, all its other statements were accurate, so why would they only lie once? If the twins had really wanted to shock her, they should have said something like 'Gray is in love with Natsu' or 'Gray hates ice cream'.

Lucy added an apology underneath Reason #4 -"Sorry we read your mind like that". Gray would never see it, but it made her feel better anyway. Now, what particular incident would make Mirajane think Gray enjoyed flirting with her? Perhaps the ale was making it hard to remember...she took one final sip and could feel the alcohol hitting her bloodstream...which also brought back one more particular memory.

"Reason #5: Gray looks for excuses to flirt with Lucy"

 _It was a particularly hot day in Magnolia, and Lucy had spent way too much of it in the sun. Why oh why, didn't she complete her chores yesterday? She walked into the guild hall, exhausted. She needed to hydrate._

 _She made her way to the bar and tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak. "Miraaa"_

 _"Oh, you poor dear!"_

 _Luckily Mirajane had spotted her, and swiftly poured a glass of water. Lucy drank three glasses in a row and definitely felt a lot better._

 _"You look like you could use a shower"_

 _Lucy whipped her head around and saw Gray, pulling up a chair next to her and sitting down._

 _"What? How rude!" she sputtered._

 _"I only meant that you're pretty sweaty. Been outside all day, huh?"_

 _"I had a lot of errands to run. And even so, you still shouldn't go around insinuating that people look bad" she said, scowling. He ignored her irritation and picked up one of the bar menus._

 _"You never look bad," he said, nonchalantly rifling through the menu. He paused at a certain page and glanced back up at Lucy. "Ever tried a margarita?"_

 _"What's a margarita?" she asked. Her dad never really let her try alcoholic drinks, so she was used to beer and wine._

 _"It's a cocktail, you'll like it. A bit of sweet, a bit of sour, a bit of ice, and a good helping of tequila. That is if you're me" he chuckled. "I'll ask Mirajane for some if you'd like. There's nothing like a nice cold drink after a long day". He waved down their bartender and she came back with two pale yellow drinks._

 _Lucy took a sip of hers and could somehow taste all the ingredients at once- there was tart lime, a syrupy sweetness, and a hint of table salt. The drink was ice cold when it hit her lips, but the tequila left her with a warm feeling inside her stomach. She smiled for the first time that day and gazed up from her drink to see Gray smiling back at her._

 _"They're pretty tasty, aren't they?" he said, taking a sip of his._

 _She agreed, and they enthusiastically finished off both of their glasses. The margarita made her feel like she was floating on air, and she desperately wanted another._

 _"Mira, could we have another pair of those?"_

 _"Oh my, already?" Mirajane checked over her two guests. They seemed alright, but she knew Lucy wasn't used to cocktails. She made the margaritas and made a mental note to keep an eye on them._

 _"Thank you!" Lucy grinned. Why did anyone even drink beer? These were so much tastier. She told Gray about her day as she sipped on her second margarita. It was a pretty boring story, but he paid attention the whole time._

 _She giggled. "I can't believe you sat through that. Tell me about your day Gray!"_

 _"Well...it was about as exciting as yours," said Gray. "I practiced some ice magic with Lyon. Then we decided it was too hot to keep training and I took a nap. And now I'm with you" He reached forward and ruffled her hair._

 _"Hey, you're messing up my hair," said Lucy, still giggling. His hands tickled her scalp and glided through her long, blonde locks. She didn't really mind Gray playing with her hair. In fact, it felt relaxing. But something made her move her own hands to his hair. She started ruffling it as he'd done to her, watching her small hands get lost in the black waves._

 _"There, now yours is messy too," she said, smiling in satisfaction. Of course, since his hair was usually messy he looked as good as ever. Their faces were a lot closer together now than before. Gray stared at her eyes for a second before pulling away. He reached up to touch her hair again._

 _"I- I like your hair...it's pretty...and soft" he slurred, struggling to put the words together. This time he held the bottom strands or her hair and began twirling them. His second glass was almost empty. When she gazed into his face, she could tell the only thing he cared about at the moment was her. What was going on outside from the two of them sitting on these bar stools didn't matter._

 _For some reason, Lucy decided to get up from her chair so she could pat Gray's hair again. When she stood up, the room started spinning. Too late, she realized she'd drank the alcohol too fast. She closed her eyes and started falling, down into a world of black._

 _"Lucy!" rang not one, but three voices. She recognized them as Gray, Mirajane, and Happy. Mirajane and Happy must have been monitoring her._

 _She felt Gray's arm catch her stomach before she hit the ground. He grunted, his reflexes not as quick as they would have been if he were sober._

 _"Lucy, go drink some water. Happy, please take Gray and Lucy home" ordered Mirajane._

 _Unfortunately, what Lucy would associate most with that evening would not be the cute flirtations with Gray. She remembered Happy carrying her to her apartment. And waking up with the worst hangover she'd had in her life._

Visions of all the shoulder touches, all the times he offered to ice her sores, all their whispered conversations, flew through her mind like a vivid movie. How could she not see it before? For years, Lucy thought love was something she had to go out and find. She'd kissed boys she wasn't attracted to and went on dates with strangers, each time hoping it would blossom into something beautiful.

But what it was here all along?

She was trembling with excitement as she finished her list with small hearts. Now, what to do? She had compelling evidence...as well as a gut feeling. Did she even like him? Why didn't Gray ever tell her?

"Do I ask him?" she wondered aloud.

"If you don't ask him, I will," said a cool, female voice from behind her shoulder.

Lucy shrieked and spun around to see Erza hovering behind her. She had read every single word.

* * *

What will Lucy do now that she's been caught? Stay tuned for Chapter Two.

One more list - Reviews that would make me happy, or just some ideas if you're like me and don't know what to write in reviews.

1) Constructive criticism. Unless you count the cringey story I wrote when I was twelve (which I would rather not) this is my first fanfiction.

2) Tell me which flashback was your favorite! The one I had the most fun writing was the closet raid with Loke and Virgo

3) Headcanon - who else besides Mirajane and Loke do you think would ship Gray & Lucy?

4) GrayLu appreciation posts. Tell me why you ship them :)

5) "I liked it". No matter how long or short it is I'm going to appreciate it so don't worry if that's all you can think of.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Three Days Time

**A/N** : Thank you so much to anyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed! I did so much proofreading and rewriting, and I was still super nervous hitting that button. So seeing your feedback makes me feel better :)

* * *

 **II. Three Days Time**

Erza was the last person Lucy wanted to see at that moment. Well, the second to last.

"How long have you been there?!" squealed Lucy.

"Fifteen seconds. You have a rather compelling list" replied Erza. She picked up Lucy's notebook and started rifling through the pages, intrigued.

"Give me that!" said Lucy, snatching it out of her hands and hugging it close to her chest. "You can't ask him!" she seethed.

Erza pouted. "Why not? I have been a friend of Gray's since childhood. I would like to know."

Leave it to Erza to ruin her life out of genuine curiosity, thought Lucy. The scarlet-haired warrior had a unique way of escalating situations that didn't even concern her in the first place. Lucy vowed to never bring her notebook into the guild again.

"Because it has nothing to do with you. It's my list, and my question" she answered.

Erza blinked, then straightened her shoulders and nodded. "Very well, let me call him over so you can ask it," said Erza. She started to wave her arm in Gray's direction, cupped her hand around her mouth, and bellowed "GRAYYY-"

Lucy panicked. She knew she couldn't ask Gray about it now, not with everyone staring at them. She sprung up, used all the upper body strength she had, and tackled Erza to the ground. Luckily, she had managed to catch her at a time she was not wearing her usual heavy plate armor. They both toppled to the grimy, cafeteria floor, and Lucy used Erza's momentary surprise to clamp her hand over Erza's mouth.

"Erza...please don't say anything" whispered Lucy, with wide eyes. She was lying right on top of her, with their faces so close Lucy could smell the lunch-meat on her breath. Erza's fierce, dark eyes stared into hers, demanding an answer. She was hyper-aware of every face in the nearby vicinity staring at them. Cana had stopped in the middle of chugging her beer. Wendy's eyes nervously darted to Master Makarov, who was meditating at the far corner of the bar, as if she needed him to interfere.

Erza wrenched Lucy's hand away from her mouth. "There was no need to push me" she scoffed.

"Why are you even getting involved in this?" asked Lucy. She checked to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. As expected, the people of Fairy Tail were so used to guild fights they had already resumed their normal activities.

"As I mentioned, I have known Gray since we were both children. I am also on a team with the both of you. As a friend and a teammate, it's important to know if two of your partners have feelings for each other. It impacts tactical decisions" said Erza. She frowned and added "Am I not allowed to want to see my friends happy?"

"You can wait to know until I ask him first," said Lucy, shaking her head. The most frightening member of her guild getting involved made her the opposite of happy.

Erza furrowed her brows and seemed to be lost in thought for a few seconds. Then, she beamed at Lucy and said, "Let us make a deal. If you don't get an answer by the end of the week, I get to ask him."

"What kind of deal is that?" wailed Lucy.

"What is the point of waiting? If he has feelings for you, then go be together."

As they continued to argue, Lucy could hear familiar, heavy footsteps approaching them. She dropped her voice to a low but furious whisper and said "I don't even know what my own feelings towards him are!"

"You have three days to figure it out. That should be plenty of time." When Lucy still glared at her, Erza shook her head. "We both know that if I don't force you to do this, you are going to ignore it."

"Like I asked for your help! Let me worry about this on -"

Her voice faltered as she came face to face with a pair of black boots. She gazed up and saw a puzzled Gray staring down at them, with his shirt buttoned up again. She pushed herself off of Erza, flattened her hair back down, and brushed the crumbs off her arms.

"Um...Erza? Lucy? What the hell is going on?" asked Gray, as Erza also got up and fixed the bow on her collar.

"It's not important" insisted Lucy, tucking her notebook back into her purse. Erza glanced pointedly at her, then at the clock on the wall. Lucy didn't need words to understand her threat. She mustered all her courage, hooked her arm around Gray's, and said "Come on, I need to ask you something"

She shuffled them through the crowd as fast as she could, dodging tables and chattering people. She ignored the raised eyebrows from Laxus and Evergreen, the casual wave from Wendy, and the knowing wink from Mirajane as they passed the bar. Right now, her priority was to get Gray as far away from Erza as possible. She kept one eye out for Juvia, who was sure to go haywire if she saw them together.

"Mind telling me where we're going?" Gray asked.

"It's too crowded out there. I don't want everyone to hear" Lucy replied, taking them down the stairs and to the basement. Finally, they stopped in front of the guild's pantry. She hesitated for a second before opening the door and entering the cramped, dark room. Gray stepped in after her and closed the door so it was only a few inches open, leaving a stripe of light across Lucy's face.

The moment they finally faced each other, Lucy tensed up. Every insecurity and every rational bone in her body screamed at her that this was a terrible idea. She wasn't Erza. She couldn't put Gray on the spot like this. But it was too late, and she needed to ask him something.

"Gray-" she started to speak, in a soft, nervous voice.

"Wait a sec" interrupted Gray, stepping closer to her. "You've got some ink on your nose."

Lucy's heart sped up tenfold as he reached forward and cradled her cheek with his hand, then gently wiped off the ink with his thumb. They were so far away from the others now she wondered if he could hear it thumping in her chest.

"Man, that was annoying me," he said, giving her the tiniest of smiles. "What were you saying?"

"I-I had a question " she stammered, now distracted his lingering tough on her cheek. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I was wondering if you...I mean, do you like...are you interested in..."

She recalled the time she had to ask her landlady for a rent extension, for the third month in a row. This was much harder. She wasn't Natsu either. She didn't like barging in without a plan. No matter what his answer would be she didn't have a response.

All she had to do to finish her sentence was say "me". _Are you interested in me?_ But her mind swerved course like a racecar.

"going..."

Going? Now she was asking him on a date! Panicking and inspired by the food all around them, she picked the first activity she could think of that didn't sound date-like.

"...grocery shopping?" she finished.

"Grocery shopping?" he repeated, staring blankly at her, unaware of the self-berating that was currently taking place in her head.

"For a cake," she improvised wildly, looking at the cake mix boxes behind his head. "I need you to help me make one"

"A cake?" he asked. The poor man looked more confused than ever. "You should ask Erza, I'm sure she knows more about cakes than me"

"It's a surprise for her," she said, again going with the first thing that popped into her head. She cursed to herself as she realized Erza was now getting a free cake out of blackmailing her. Oh well, there was no way to change the story now. She would have to convince him to go, get him alone, and then try asking again.

Gray blinked twice, then surveyed the pantry until his eyes landed on the cake mix behind him. He grabbed it off the shelf and handed it to her.

"Here, just use this stuff."

"No, it needs to be from scratch, and I don't want to take any of Mira's ingredients. It's...a really complicated recipe."

"Are you sure you don't want Levy's help instead?"

"She's on a mission with Jet and Droy." That part wasn't a fabrication. Lucy thanked her lucky stars that Levy was out; she didn't know how much more lying she'd have to do. She knew perfectly well how to bake a cake, and would have asked Levy or Mirajane on any other day. She was beginning to think Mirajane was completely off about Gray liking her.

"I mean, if you seriously want my support..." he mused, ruffling his hair. "I ain't a chef, just so you know..."

Lucy did some quick calculations in her head. Today was Wednesday, and Erza gave her three days to ask Gray. She technically wouldn't even have to utter a word to him until the weekend. And she was sure as hell needed all the time she could get. She put on her biggest puppy dog eyes and crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Soooo, are you free on Saturday?" she asked.

"Fine," he said, shaking his head in bewilderment. "I'll bake for you, Lucy. But only for you. Don't tell Erza I got a cooking hobby or anything"

Lucy mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! Meet me at my apartment at ten in the morning and we'll walk to the farmer's market"

She practically sprinted away when they both came out of the pantry, her cheeks starting to burn. She had actually pulled it off! They were going to go shopping together and bake dessert. All she had to do now was figure out what to say to him. And hey, if everything went wrong there would be cake batter to gorge herself on all weekend.

But the burning question still remained. Did Gray have feelings for her? And more importantly, did she have feelings for him too? After defeating dark guilds together, traveling to cursed islands and parallel worlds, and forming the strongest team in Fairy Tail, she only had three days to decide.

* * *

 **Thursday**

Now that her plan was in motion, Lucy needed to tell Erza before she decided to take matters into her own hands. She managed to catch Erza at a table for lunch and inform her about her strategy to ask Gray. The S-class mage assured her that she had kept her word and hadn't said anything to him. She seemed disappointed that Lucy hadn't found out yesterday, but impressed that she'd gotten Gray to agree to a pseudo-date. Getting Erza to divulge moments about her own life though, was a different story.

"By the way Erza, is there anything, you know, special going on in your life right now?" asked Lucy.

"I'm going to polish my armor after lunch" replied Erza, beaming proudly.

Lucy cringed. "I meant like, a birthday"

"It won't be for several months"

"What about um, the anniversary of when you became an S-class wizard?"

Erza narrowed her eyes at Lucy. "That was in December"

Lucy tried one more time. "Anniversary of when you joined the guild?"

"I don't recall. Why do you ask about these dates?" asked Erza, folding her arms.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders and gazed up at the ceiling. "I'm looking for an occasion to make a cake"

Erza swallowed the last bite of her dessert, gave Lucy a serious look and said, "You don't need a particular reason to eat cake. If you'll excuse me, I have over one hundred suits of armor to polish"

Lucy gave up and let Erza leave. The guild was almost empty after lunch as everyone moved on to afternoon activities. Freed and Bickslow were sitting at a corner table with both their noses lost in spellbooks. Max was having a conversation with Mirajane at the bar, presumably planning another guild event. Wendy and Charle were slumped over on empty sacks of flour in the corner, taking afternoon naps. Lucy had the sudden urge to turn and mutter to Gray about the flour stains all over their hair and clothes, but he was nowhere to be found.

The only other person left was Lisanna, and she was crawling on her hands and knees under the tables, clearly searching for something. Curiosity got the best of Lucy, so she walked to Lisanna's table and crouched down to peek at her.

"Hey, did you lose something?" she asked.

Lisanna, startled by Lucy's presence, yelped and bumped her head on the wooden table's underside.

Lucy winced. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"

Lisanna smiled and began massaging the top of her head. "Hi Lucy, it's good to see you! Don't worry about it, I've been so distracted lately" she said. Her smile drooped and she gave a heavy sigh. "I lost my notebook and I can't find it anywhere in the guild."

"Wait, you have a notebook too? Where else do you take it?" asked Lucy. Levy let her read her notebook sometimes, but she had never seen Lisanna's.

"I usually leave it at home or take it to the forest"

"The forest? You mean the East Forest, where Natsu and Happy go fishing?"

"That's the one" Lisanna answered. Her eyes suddenly widened and she began standing up, only to bang her head on the table again. She stumbled to the floor and landed on her hands, sighing again.

"Ouch! Oh man...you're right Lucy, I think I dropped it there" she said, crawling out from under the cafeteria table.

Lucy wondered why the hell anybody would take a notebook deep into a forest. "Let me help you find it" she offered. Maybe, if they retrieved the notebook, Lisanna would show her what she'd written. Lucy loved diving into her friends' imaginations and seeing if they were similar to her own.

Lisanna showed the first signs of hope Lucy had seen all day. "Really?" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Definitely! I know I'd be worried if my notebook was missing. We should be able to find it if we retrace your steps"

* * *

For an area overgrown with shady trees, the East Forest was much hotter today than Lucy expected it to be. The humidity hung in the air like a fog, and the insects were out in full force. Lucy had put her hair up in a ponytail to stay cool, but even so, her neck was blistering.

They had been searching in the forest for over an hour, with Lisanna recalling every tree and rock she'd visited the last time she bought her notebook. Pulling her head out of a tree hollow, the take-over mage turned to Lucy and said "There's one more spot that I remember going to. Is it alright if we check it out?"

Lucy, who was kneeling and searching in the grass, nodded yes. If they failed to find the book she would feel heartbroken for Lisanna. She couldn't imagine losing something like her letters to her mom.

As they trudged through the dense shrubs to the final location, Lisanna turned to Lucy and said "Even if we don't find it, I don't know how I can thank you, Lucy. It's muggy and awful out today, you're still helping me."

Lucy would have loved to be indoors, sipping one of Mirajane's lemonades. In fact, right now she was craving a margarita. But she forced herself to smile and say "No problem"

"No really...thank you. I asked Juvia to help me look earlier and she said she was busy, but I know she just went to look for Gray"

That was strange, thought Lucy. Lisanna had mentioned she was good friends with Edolas Juvia. Apparently, their relationship hadn't translated well to their world.

The last spot was by the river where Natsu and Happy went fishing. When it was finally visible, Lisanna let out an overjoyed shriek and began sprinting towards the rushing water.

"It's here!" she exclaimed, picking up the leather-bound book from the ground. Aside from a little mud, it seemed to be in perfect shape.

"That's great! Ironic that we found at Natsu's fishing spot...I wonder if he would have stumbled across it eventually" pondered Lucy.

As she mentioned this Lisanna turned faint pink and looked away. "Yeah, this is where they like to hang out a lot." She sighed and mumbled, "I wish he'd invite me too."

"What? He hasn't taken you?" asked Lucy, surprised. She knew all about the story of how Lisanna and Natsu became Happy's adoptive parents, right in this very forest.

"I've been gone for two years. I understand if I'm not a big part of his life anymore. Besides, I'm lucky to be here at all."

"That's silly, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. I could ask him for you if you want" said Lucy. Now she was beginning to understand Erza's bluntness. There was nothing to lose by asking. And she knew part of the reason Natsu didn't hang out with Lisanna was that he was so used to breaking into her own apartment, showing her the latest flyer he'd pulled from the Fairy Tail job board.

Lisanna shook her head and smiled. "That's alright, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, you know? Whether that's fishing with Happy or going on quests with you and the rest of his team. You shouldn't...you shouldn't try to change the people you love."

For some reason, Lucy thought of Juvia and how fiercely possessive she could be of Gray. Lisanna's response was a sharp, refreshing contrast. Still, it saddened her. There had to be a healthy middle between being with the people you care about every second of the day and watching them fade out of your life.

Unlike Erza, Lucy didn't want force Lisanna into a situation where she ended up in the pantry, so she changed the topic. "Why do you write in the middle of the woods anyway?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm not a writer. This is for drawing" said Lisanna, holding up the notebook. "Um, do you wanna see?" she asked shyly.

Lucy nodded in excitement. With shaky hands, Lisanna unbuckled the leather strap and handed her book to Lucy. The pages were filled with anatomical line-art of animals. Lucy counted several forms she'd seen Lisanna as before, like cats and rabbits. There were also creatures like mermaids and harpies, and even unfinished sketches of beasts she didn't recognize. She couldn't help but notice how precisely her friend had drawn every tuft of fur, every outstretched wing, every open eye.

"These are amazing" Lucy worded breathlessly. At her praise, Lisanna smiled tentatively and wiped her sweaty brow.

"When I work here, I get to see them in person," she explained. She then stuffed her hands in her pockets and said "Um, animals aren't the only thing I like to draw though. I have some artwork of the guild in the back half if you're interested"

Lucy flipped the notebook to the second half. She was met with a drawing of Gajeel crouching on the floor, stacking blocks on a sleeping Pantherlily's chest. Gajeel's expression was so curious and so focused, Lucy couldn't help but burst out in giggles.

"Oh...yeah. Gajeel didn't even know I was drawing him" said Lisanna, beginning to giggle too.

Lucy continued going through the Fairy Tail artwork, recognizing most of her guild members. There was understandably a lot of Mirajane and Elfman. She saw pictures of Team Natsu, with Erza scowling at Natsu and Gray in over half of them. There was a poignant picture of Mystogan with his fist raised towards the clouds, with Edolas above them. Then there was an entire page of only Natsu's head. Lucy quickly flipped to the next page since she thought Lisanna might be embarrassed.

Her heart stopped. There was a picture of just her and Gray, with her whispering into Gray's ear. They were sitting at one of the Fairy Tail cafeteria tables together. Her eyes were closed and her hand cupped around her mouth, spilling a secret. Gray was smirking but his eyes were pointed to Lucy. She stared at the picture for several seconds, unaware of the fact that she was now tracing the lines with her finger.

"You like that one?" asked Lisanna, peering closer.

Lucy shut the book and stammered "I, um, just wondering what day that happened"

Lisanna frowned and said "I honestly don't remember. You guys whisper to each other a lot. I guess one day I just thought it was cute and decided to capture it!" She clasped her hands together and her eyes brightened. "I know! Lucy, do you wanna keep that one as a thank you?"

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"It's your favorite, isn't it?" asked Lisanna. She took back the notebook and opened it to the drawing of Lucy and Gray again. Then she carefully tore the page from the spine and handed it to Lucy.

The poor celestial mage couldn't remember for the life of her what she was saying to Gray in that picture. All she could do was stare at it. She tried to recreate the moment in her head. She imagined Gray's spiky black hair, his dark blue eyes, and his coy smile. The way he said her name and the way his eyes sometimes lingered on her a second longer than necessary. She was leaning towards him, but instead of a whisper, she went in for a kiss...

"Well, shall we head back to the guild?" said Lisanna, interrupting Lucy's daydreams. Lucy stiffened and almost dropped the piece of paper.

"I, um, good idea. Thanks for showing me your notebook" said Lucy hastily.

"No problem! You helped me find it. Let's go home and have my sister make us some lemonade, whaddya think?"

* * *

 **Friday**

 _Of Sugar Mice and Gingerbread Men_

 _(over 2000 dessert recipes included)_

Lucy clutched the book in her hands, hoping it was worth the 3000 jewels she paid for it. The bookstore owner had recommended it, saying it was the perfect book for beginners. He'd even included a voucher for some food dyes. She tucked her new recipe book in her bag, waved goodbye to the owner, and stepped out into the streets of Magnolia.

The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the city a beautiful orange. Lucy paused for a minute to admire the glow and gaze at the building reflections on the nearby canal. She felt a rumble in her stomach informing her it was about dinnertime. It was a far walk to the guild hall, but luckily, she spotted a kebab stand nearby.

The kebab stand was by a neighboring florist shop, which created an interesting mixture of aromas. As Lucy paid for her food, she heard the bell to the florist shop chime. She turned her head and caught Juvia, carrying a single white daisy. She appeared not to have noticed Lucy and strode right past her to the canal.

Lucy decided to keep watching her, bemused. Maybe Juvia liked to decorate her house with flowers. Or perhaps Gray had made some offhand comment about liking daisies once. The blue-haired woman reached the water, took a deep breath, and hugged the daisy close to her heart.

"He loves Juvia, he loves Juvia not, he loves Juvia, he loves Juvia not..." she recited, plucking off the flower petals and watching them fall into the water.

 _Of course_ , thought Lucy. Though it came as no surprise, she couldn't help but keep watching her. She positioned herself behind the kebab stand as Juvia continued her flower game. When Juvia got down to the last petal, her lip quivered. Then she shook her head, turned around, and waltzed back into the florist shop. A few minutes later, she was holding a large sunflower.

Juvia started the game again, meticulously going through each yellow petal. This time, she landed on a 'he loves Juvia'. Satisfied, she tossed the flower stem into a nearby garbage can and admired the floating petals. Lucy observed her for a few more minutes before she finally strolled off into the sunset.

When she was sure Juvia was gone, Lucy walked to the canal herself. She kneeled by the water's edge and caught sight of her own reflection between the mixture of white and yellow flecks. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, and it had nothing to do with the kebab. Before she could identify what it was, she heard heavy footsteps approaching. A moment later, she saw Loke's face reflected in the water next to her.

"She definitely cheated, huh?" said Loke, kneeling down beside her.

"Loke!" cried out Lucy. His ability to open his own gate was helpful but sometimes startling. "How long have you been here?"

He shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "I started watching Juvia play her little flower game about the same time you did." They both watched the water for a few more minutes before he said "Something's bothering you. Wanna talk about it?"

Lucy clutched her purse tightly. Only Mirajane and Erza knew about her list, and so far she'd been determined to keep it that way. If Levy were here, she'd understand her for sure, but she was gone and Loke was offering. Turning to face him, she asked "Does our contract include keeping secrets?"

"Nope. But our friendship does" he replied.

Lucy hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a folded but crumpled piece of paper from her bag. She flattened it out and handed it to him.

"A few days ago, Mirajane said Gray had a crush on me. I didn't really think she was serious until I started writing down all the observations people made about us" said Lucy, watching Loke's eyes glide through her writing. When he was done she pointed to the paper and said "So...do you think it's true?"

Loke said nothing for a moment, then pushed his glasses up and smirked. "Do you want it to be true?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe," she said.

Loke's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he grinned widely. "So Princess Lucy and my best bud Gray might like each other! What a development!" He scrunched his eyebrows and said, "I'm not seeing the issue here."

"It's Juvia. I don't want to hurt her. She's been in love with Gray for so long and the thought of being with him makes her so happy...I just don't know what to do!" she said. She shook her head and rested her forehead on one hand. "I don't know if you remember how she was before she joined Fairy Tail. Every day of her life was stormy and lonely."

"Yeah, I remember...she used to say 'drip drop' all the time. Can't decide if she was more of a nutcase before or after she met Gray" muttered Loke.

Lucy continued to pour out all her guilty feelings like a broken dam. "Maybe I should just back off. I mean, Gray could like her eventually, since their magic is compatible and everything. They'll be happy together and I'll...I'll get an exceed like Natsu"

Loke gave a long, low whistle when she finished. "Lucy, man you are something else" he chortled. He put a hand on her shoulder and said "So about Juvia and Gray...don't assume they should be together just because she's persistent. Honestly, if you and Gray date let her cry an ocean and get over it. Every girl I've dumped has done that, and they turned out fine"

"Loke, no" scolded Lucy, crossing her arms. Despite Loke's frequent claims that he loved women, he could be remarkably blase towards them sometimes. "I care about her feelings!"

"But she doesn't care about Gray's" he stated, matter of factly. Lucy opened her mouth to protest and he covered it with her hand. He stared right into her eyes and said "Listen to me, Lucy."

She nervously looked back. Loke had never sounded so serious before.

"Love and respect are two different things. Juvia doesn't care how uncomfortable she makes Gray or the position she puts him in. She's in love with the idea of Gray, the idea that he'll bring her eternally clear skies. I think destroying that fixation is the best thing you could do for her, Lucy. If she gambles all her happiness coins in one basket, that's on her."

Lucy pulled his hand away from her mouth and retorted "Well, not everyone wants to date five girls at once like you."

"She doesn't have to. All the best friends you could ask for in the world are right here in Fairy Tail"

Lucy thought of Lisanna and Juvia's relationship again. She thought of Juvia and Gajeel. She even thought of Lyon and Meredy. She understood now - Every one of them, every last person in her guild would spill their own blood and tears for each other. If Juvia's obsession with Gray was so important that she couldn't appreciate that, that it wasn't enough for her, then it was her own fault.

Lucy picked up the daisy Juvia had discarded on the ground, with the one remaining lone petal."I suppose you're right. There's enough love here to mend any broken heart."

"Damn right I am. Also, what's this compatible magic bullshit? Celestial magic is by far the sexiest" said Loke, rolling his eyes.

"But it's not inherently harmonious like water and ice" she responded, fidgeting with the daisy.

He snorted. "Who cares? Technically, since water is below the freezing temperature of ice, it will always melt it. But look at all the beautiful, icy, heavenly bodies up in the sky." He pointed upwards to the darkening night around them. It was sparkling with stars. "Comets, moons, asteroids, planets...hell almost the entire cosmos are freezing"

Lucy giggled this time. She knew it was petty, but she loved the metaphors of their magic. They were celestial mage Lucy and ice mage Gray, and together they created a dazzling, frozen universe.

"Speaking of the sky, it's getting kind of late. Want me to walk you to Fairy Tail, or would you rather go home?" he asked.

"I have to get my shopping list and my outfit ready. Erza's forcing me to ask Gray so I kind of made plans with him tomorrow. Let's go home" said Lucy, standing up. She had all day with Gray tomorrow to look forward to, and she wanted to be as prepared as possible. She extended her open palm so Loke could return her list. Once it was back in her hands, she gazed at it one more time before turning to him and asking "You still haven't told me if you think he likes me? You're one of Gray's best friends after all"

"Doesn't mean he tells me everything. Hmm..." he said, stroking his chin. "Read me the list again?"

Lucy read aloud the five reasons she'd written down on Wednesday at the bar. She'd been over them so much in her mind, she could recite them by heart now.

Loke smirked. "Have you forgotten that I also meet a lot of that criteria?" he said, holding up his fingers to count. "I think you're attractive, my entire job is protecting you, I try to flirt with you all the time, and I'm essentially risking my life for you even if celestial spirits don't technically die."

"I- yeah but you flirt with everyone! And we have a contract! It's different" insisted Lucy.

He chucked and said "Alright, then by your logic Gray adores you even more than I do"

Lucy bit her cheek to prevent herself from grinning like a maniac. She did want her little list of reasons to be true. She wanted all their whispered conversations and secret moments to be as precious to Gray as they were to her. Giving up and handing them to Juvia would be like tearing out a chunk of her heart. She had to find out, she had to seize her moment tomorrow - she was not going to let Erza or Juvia or anyone else get in the way.

Before they left, Lucy plucked the last petal from the daisy she'd been fiddling with. She released it and watched the wind carry it into the water.

 _He loves Juvia not._

* * *

I know there was a lot of Lucy bumbling around, talking to friends and figuring out her feelings in this chapter. I promise, there will be LOTS of GrayLu later :) Speaking of which, sorry if you were expecting this to be a big lengthy story, it will probably only be three-four chapters. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but it ended up being much too long.

If you do want to review but don't know what to say, here's a question again! Which characters you wish got more of the spotlight in Fairy Tail? For me, Lisanna Strauss deserves better. I feel like her character and her relationship with Natsu got pushed to the side a lot which makes me sad. If you don't want to review but you liked it, I still appreciate you. Thanks for reading!


	3. A Market Affair

A/N: Seriously, thank you guys so much for all the reviews! Sorry it takes me so long to update. Here are some cute Graylu moments to make up for it. Also writing this made me ship LoLu too haha

* * *

 **III. A Market Affair**

"Rise and shine, Princess!"

Lucy ignored the voice. "I'm having a dream," she mumbled to herself, still lying in bed. There was no reason she would set her alarm so early when she wasn't supposed to meet Gray until ten. Surrounded by comfortable pillows, ignoring the dim rays peeking through her curtains, she turned around to go back to sleep.

She wanted to try dreaming again. The two of them were on a mission together, which was strange because Natsu was usually the one to ask her on missions. As far as she could tell, they were fighting resort robbers at Akane Beach. At least, that was the explanation she'd come up with for why she was in a swimsuit. Gray being half-naked was nothing new.

She was attacking from the rooftop when one of the bandits pushed her over. On instinct, Gray had made an ice slide to catch her fall. Instead of landing on the ground, she had glided straight up into the air and was caught by a strong, muscular pair of arms.

She'd looked up to see Gray with the tenderest expression she'd ever seen him have. Once they both landed, he used one arm to pull her head closer to his. He was so close she could hear his heartbeat under his bare chest. Her breath was caught in her mouth as their foreheads touched and he'd hovered his mouth inches from hers.

"Lucy..." Gray whispered.

"Princess, we are here to help you get ready," said a different voice, female this time.

Lucy turned over and groaned into her pillow. When she finally forced her heavy eyelids open, she saw Virgo's face blinking at her.

"Virgo?" she asked groggily. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't work on Saturdays?"

"She's making sure you win, of course," said the first voice. Lucy turned her head to see Loke sitting on a chair backward and grinning at her.

"Loke!" she squeaked and pulled the covers over herself. The lion spirit had quite a habit of popping up whenever she wasn't expecting him. "You can't just open your gate inside my apartment whenever you feel like it! What if I were naked?"

Loke held up his hands in defense and said "Whoa, there. I'm sorry I had to break in but we have a major situation going on in the celestial world. Also, I also had Virgo check first so I wouldn't burst in on you"

"A situation?" Now Lucy was wide-awake. She threw the blankets off herself and stepped out of bed. "Is the spirit king in danger? Is it one of you guys or a silver key?" Her hand instinctively reached for the keyring sitting on her bedside table. She sighed when she counted they were all still there.

"No one's in danger. We're just a little divided, that's all" said Loke, stroking his chin.

"You mean there's some kind of in-fighting going on?" she asked. This was serious. She needed her spirits to like each other - what if she had to summon two at once in combat? "Take me to the spirit world," she commanded Virgo.

Virgo nodded and grabbed Lucy's hand. A glowing portal appeared in the middle of her bedroom. She could hear Loke yelling at them as they stepped through.

"Wait! You don't need to go there yourself!"

With a flash of light, they both appeared in front of a tall, mirror wall. Lucy gazed at her reflection and saw that she was wearing celestial clothes. Behind them, she could see rows upon rows of clothes and immediately recognized the room as the celestial closet she'd visited a long time ago. Her mouth fell open as a familiar figure stepped out of the coat rack.

"Moo! I am udderly sure that our sexy Lucy will win us the competition!" said a drooling Taurus.

"Without my styling guidance, she won't just be a shrimp, she'll be a rotten shrimp," said Cancer, emerging coming out of the shadows of a bulky cabinet. He scoffed and leaned up against the cabinet door.

"Competition? What's going on?" asked Lucy. More spirits started appearing from the racks of clothes on the walls. Scorpio smirked at Lucy and took his place beside Cancer. Gemini chirped and joined Taurus and Virgo by the coat rack. Aries stepped forward, her eyes darting back and forth between the two groups. She made an apologetic face at Lucy and tiptoed next to Cancer and Scorpio. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd seen so many of her spirits at once.

At that moment, Loke burst through the portal, clutching his chest and panting. "By Mavis Lucy, I told you not to come!"

"I thought you guys were in danger. Will someone please tell me what the hell is happening?" demanded Lucy.

"Brother has made a bet with Aquarius on whether Gray will choose you or Juvia," quipped in Virgo.

"You WHAT-"

Loke started explaining as fast as he could before Lucy could strangle him. "I was having a conversation with Aquarius yesterday and may have let it slip that you were going on a date on Gray. Naturally, she said you'd never get a boyfriend, your personality was a mess, and since she and Juvia both control water...well you see where this is going. We've got five hundred thousand jewels at stake here between all of us." He turned to Lucy and tugged on her arm. "We need to-"

Scorpio pointed the stinger on his tail at Cancer. "We are siding with my girlfriend on this one. Water signs stick together," he said. Lucy had a hunch that Scorpio was secretly indifferent to the situation, but forced to side with Aquarius since they were dating.

"Don't worry Lucy, we believe in you! Because we believe in our own abilities!" chirped Gemini. The twins came forward and transformed into Lucy and Gray. The real Lucy watched Gemi as Gray create a rose made of ice. Only this time, Mini as Lucy giggled, blushed and accepted it. Watching them was even more hypnotizing than looking at Lisanna's drawing. She covered her mouth and smiled at them for a few more seconds before Aries finally spoke up.

"I don't think Gray will like Miss Lucy very much...I'm sorry," said the trembling ram. Lucy was almost insulted, but more curious as to why Aries would choose to not be on her side.

"What makes you say that?" she asked. She felt another strong nudge on her shoulder that must have been from Loke.

"Because time moves differently in the celestial world and he won't appreciate it when you miss the date," answered Aries.

Lucy's eyes became as wide as saucers. "Shit!" she exclaimed, sprinting back towards the portal.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Loke howled after her.

Lucy dived through the portal and landed back on her bedroom floor. She was back in her pajamas. She scrambled to her nightstand as fast as she could and caught sight of the time on her alarm clock.

 _'9:27'_

"Loke, I am going to murder you!" she screamed. "Now I only have thirty minutes to get ready!

"Well it's a good thing I got here so early," said Loke, tumbling onto the floor as well. "I thought it would take around four hours, honestly. But I hadn't counted on your little detour"

"What? It doesn't take women FOUR HOURS to get ready," said Lucy, smacking her palm against her forehead. "And I wouldn't have gone if you weren't such a melodramatic ass!"

"Huh, all women must be different" he mused to himself. "Anyway, that bet is why I'm helping you, otherwise there's no way I'd let Gray have you without a fight," he said, grinning. "Don't worry, I told Virgo to grab some clothes for you. Now go get ready and we'll take care of the rest"

"Fine" Lucy grumbled. She wouldn't be in this predicament if they hadn't shown up in the first place. "Can you ask Virgo if she'll hang my laundry from last night out to dry?"

She made her way to the bathroom to get ready. The sun shone brightly through the curtains, reminding her that the clock was ticking closer to ten. Three whole days, and she was still just as nervous as the first time she'd tried to ask. As she ran the water to brush her teeth, she could faintly hear the conversation between Virgo and Loke over the outfits Virgo had bought.

"No, not this one. Lucy said she was going to the farmer's market. Not the strip club" said Loke.

"Noted, dear brother. You mentioned they were cooking, may I suggest this one?" said Virgo.

"A maid? Personally, I consider that more of a costume than an outfit."

"If you insist, but I have a strong hunch Gray would appreciate it"

"Heh, I wonder why. _Pajamas_? Why'd you bring these?

"Oh! This was an accident. Say, in case we lose, do you think Lucy would punish me?"

Lucy quickly turned on the shower water. Punishing Virgo was the last thing she wanted to think about. She needed to come up with a script this time. Should she bring it up when they got back home? Should she confront him again? What would Mirajane do? The barmaid seemed to have no problems luring secrets out of her guests.

When she got out of the shower, it was already nine-fifty-three. She rushed to her bedroom to change into proper clothes. Loke and Virgo were sitting on her bed, with Virgo holding something blue and familiar.

"Is this one alright with you, Princess?" she asked.

Lucy received the outfit from Virgo and recognized it as the robin egg blue dress she'd seen the very first time she'd visited the celestial closet. On the bed, there was a messy pile of the rest of the clothes Virgo had bought. The sundress was the best she could have hoped for. She'd always secretly wondered how it would fit her.

"I'm sure it'll work," said Lucy, giving her a small smile.

The only way to know was trying it on. Virgo dressed Lucy's face in light makeup, then she quickly made her way to the bathroom to change. Thoughts of what to say flew through her head. "Erza wanted me to ask you something" Nope, Erza would kill her. "Do you wanna go out sometime?" However, she'd already asked him to go shopping with her; it was supposed to be his turn to ask! "Is there anyone you like in the guild?" Yes, that was a decent way to start. She could make it work from there.

When she emerged, Virgo and Loke were waiting for her. Judging by their expressions, she felt reminiscent of a bride who had stepped out in the perfect wedding gown.

"Princess, you look wonderful!" exclaimed Virgo.

"Thanks, Virgo," said Lucy, admiring the dress. It fit her bust and hugged her waist perfectly. When she walked, the fabric floated around her legs in gentle waves. As she looked closer, she saw the tiniest sparkles embedded in the cloth, shimmering like little stars.

Loke glanced up and down at her, sighed and said, "I'm having regrets". He shook his head, strode over to Lucy, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Well remember, if Gray ever breaks your heart, I'll break his you-know-what. And I'll always be right here waiting for you."

Lucy snorted with laughter and blushed. Despite the mishap earlier, she knew Loke truly wanted her to be happy. Bet or no bet. If anyone knew Gray's taste in women, it was him. The celestial spirit had a gift of knowing what made people tick, what made their heartbeats accelerate. Lucy was decent at flirting. But Loke…Loke could charm the pants off an inanimate statue if he wanted to. It was fortunate that he was on her side.

As soon as she opened her mouth to thank the both of them for their help, the doorbell rang. Loke's eyes widened in panic. He placed a finger on Lucy's mouth as if to say "Shhh", crept over to Virgo and tapped her on the shoulder. They both nodded at Lucy and Loke gave her a wink. Then they vanished in a flash of golden light.

Lucy could hear her own heart pounding in her chest as she strolled down the steps to open the door for Gray. It was the moment she'd both been dreading and looking forward to, like getting back a test in school. Pausing in front of the door, she took a deep breath. There was no reason to feel so dizzy, right? Gray was one of her best friends, her teammate for god's sake! Her teammate who happened to think she was pretty...and liked to touch her hair...

The door swung open. There was Gray, leaning with one arm on the doorframe, wearing a collared white shirt and dark wash jeans. He gave Lucy a tiny smile when he saw her.

"Hey," said Lucy. It came out as a high-pitched squeak. Curse Mirajane and Erza! He was the one that was supposed to have a crush on her, not the other way around! She cleared her throat and tried again. "Thanks for coming."

"Anytime. Is that one of your celestial world dresses?" he asked, his eyes moving up and down at her outfit. Lucy could sense her cheeks heating up from his fixed gaze.

"Yeah, Virgo lent it to me. Why?" she asked.

"Because it suits you," he said, shrugging his shoulders as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Lucy smiled but her stomach was performing cartwheels on the inside. Thank God for her spirit friends. Gray had always been attractive, but he was looking especially handsome today so she deemed she should compliment him as well. His arm muscles were bulging as he leaned against the entryway and his silver cross necklace glimmered over his defined chest. It was strange; she'd never noticed how his nice his skin was. Guys she'd dated before always had dry skin and chapped lips. Gray's skin glowed in the sun and his lips were smooth and inviting. _I wonder would it would be like to kiss them_ , she thought.

"So are you gonna keep staring or are we gonna go?" asked Gray, whipping her out of her trance.

"You have nice lips!" she blurted out, and immediately clasped a hand over her mouth. She was doing terrible at flirting so far. Loke was probably watching from the spirit world, embarrassed on her behalf.

Luckily, Gray was none the wiser. He tilted his head in confusion and said "Um, thanks I guess? I apply lip balm."

"Sorry, I was just trying to give you a compliment," she said. Mortified, she stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her, avoiding eye contact.

He chuckled and they both descended down to the street together. "I appreciate it. So, what kind of cake is so complicated that you'd need me to help you?"

"Would you believe me if I told you most of them?" insisted Lucy. She'd gone over the recipe book last night trying to find one that was plausibly difficult. There were dozens of cakes she'd never even heard of before - Croquembouche, tres leches, upside down cake. A section on shaped cakes had caught her eye with a particular cake shaped like a dragon. However, most of the shaped cakes were comprised of fondant, and Lucy and Erza both despised fondant. She'd chosen something shiny called a 'glazed cake'.

She started rambling to Gray about all the unusual kinds of cakes she'd seen in her book as they walked to the farmer's market. He was a great listener for someone who'd hardly shown a huge interest in food. Lucy's nerves melted the more they conversed. He was Gray - familiar and supportive, the person she could rant about anything to, the one she always spilled gossip with, he was her Gray. And despite not knowing his answer, she found herself falling for him.

* * *

"I can't believe they were out of food dyes!" whined Lucy, stamping her foot. The voucher the bookstore owner had given her was useless now. They would have to find another store and check if they sold any.

"Remind me again why we didn't just pick up a cake from the bakery?" asked Gray, raising an eyebrow.

For the last two and a half hours, the two of them had wandered all over the Magnolia market picking up the various ingredients on Lucy's grocery list. They located the standard ingredients like baking soda and eggs with no trouble. However, the rarer items were stupidly difficult to find. The pair of them ducked into several shops before they finally came upon items such as gelatin powder.

To Lucy, hanging out with Gray felt so natural, like holding a pen or summoning a spirit. They'd rarely spent long periods alone without being interrupted by someone, usually Juvia. On team missions, the constant tug and pull of combat kept them from extended conversations. Not to mention Natsu would usually either drag Lucy into a new diversion with Happy or drag Gray into a sudden brawl. At Fairy Tail, it was difficult to come within ten feet of the ice mage without the watchful, predatory eyes of Juvia lurking.

But that morning, they were free. They had dozens of merchandise stalls to explore. Oodles of restaurants and cafes and food stands to try. Therefore, the two of them ended up making quite the number of unexpected stops - mostly because of the enticing magic item stalls. Lucy had to convince herself she didn't need the rhinestone-studded pair of Gale-Force reading glasses, how matter how stylish they were. There was a silver key worth three month's rent that Lucy didn't have. While at a potions stand, she caught Gray staring longingly at a fire-dilution potion, no doubt dreaming of pranking Natsu with it.

However, now Gray's ice that he'd created to keep the refrigerated food items cool was melting all over Lucy's feet. Lucy was starving. Thanks to Loke, she hadn't had any time to eat before leaving her apartment. The hot weather and the lack of sleep were finally wearing her out. Moreover, with all the fun she was having with Gray, asking him if he had a crush on her had completely slipped her mind. She knew they should find their last ingredient and head out soon. They'd gotten everything except dyes for the frosting. The beautiful, marbled glaze patterns were the most important part of the cake.

She turned to Gray and said, "Well, homemade gifts are more meaningful. Didn't you ever get anything homemade when you were younger?"

"I didn't get many gifts as a kid," mused Gray with a faraway expression on his face. Lucy felt a twinge of regret remembering Gray had lost his parents early. "But Ur taught Lyon and me how to make homemade ice cream." He chucked and added, "It came with the hidden agenda of working out our arm muscles."

"Mmm…ice cream sure sounds delicious right now," she said longingly.

"Yeah, I'm starving," agreed Gray, placing a hand to his stomach. "I haven't eaten anything since I woke up"

"What? Why didn't you say anything?" asked Lucy, her eyes wide. "I would have given you something to eat!" Unless Loke had surprised Gray with an early morning visit too, she didn't understand why he'd skip breakfast.

"Well…I was hoping I could eat with you. Get lunch together," he said. He turned his head away and hastily added, "I mean, if you're alright with it."

Lucy wanted to find Loke, hug him, and scream with joy into his face. Gray was asking her out to lunch!

"Only if you buy me a drink," she teased.

Gray puffed out his chest. "I'm not a savage. I'll buy you the whole meal"

"Do you wanna try the Water Street Cafe?" asked Lucy. It was a cute brunch spot by the canal where many couples visited. Lucy had only seen it through the windows.

"Yeah, whatever you want. At this point, I'd eat Natsu's cooking if I had to" he chuckled.

Lucy opened her mouth to say that Natsu's cooking wasn't that bad; it was just that he really only knew how to cook fish, but in the process somehow inhaled a lungful of smoke. Eyes watering, she asked Gray "Do you smell that?"

The smell of burning oils hung in the air. Gray's nostrils were flaring and he had noticed it too. This time, instead of her shoulder he grasped her hand in his and started leading them around the corner, towards the smoke.

"Wait, what's going on?" she asked. Unlike three days ago, now she was the one following him, unaware of his motive.

"Speaking of homemade stuff, I want to show you one more thing before we go," he muttered. They turned down a side road Lucy didn't recognize. It was noticeably missing a line of shops like the other streets. There was only one booth there.

As they got closer, Lucy identified the source of the smoke as a glassblowing stand. There was an elderly man, probably around sixty, spinning molten glass into beautiful shapes. Gray appeared to recognize him and waved.

"How's it goin', Han?" he said, waving.

"Gray! How splendid it is to see you!" said Han as they arrived in front of his workstation. "And who's the beautiful girl you have with you?"

"This is my friend, Lucy" he gestured with his other hand. Lucy couldn't help but think of what any other guy would say after that prompt. Natsu would look around confused for the beautiful girl he was referring to. Loke would falsely declare her as his girlfriend, no - his _other_ girlfriend. Gajeel (not that she'd ever go shopping with Gajeel) would probably be irritated with the man - "Beautiful? I wouldn't go that far."

"Well Miss Lucy, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Han, giving her a friendly smile.

"When I was little, Ur used to take me and Lyon to see glassblowing demonstrations," said Gray, staring fondly at Han's creations. "She said to concentrate on sculpting ice the same way - not by chipping at it, but shaping it from within. It was one of our first magic lessons" His lips curved upwards into a smile and his grip on her hand grew tighter.

"They're gorgeous," whispered Lucy. There were glass figurines in all kinds of delicate, diverse structures. Though inanimate, there was such movement in the marbled colors and glass swirls that they felt alive.

Han took a red-hot piece of glass out of his kiln and began blowing into a pipe at it. The glass expanded into a molten bubble. Then he set it down and started to spin it and create a vase shape. Lucy watched the demonstration, mesmerized. She turned to see Gray's reaction and noticed his subtle face twitches. He must be remembering Ur, remembering his childhood, she thought.

"You miss her," she said. There were certain things she just knew from also losing a mother.

"Every day," he said, with a hoarse voice. He turned to face her and his expression was tender. "But when I think of home now, I think of Fairy Tail. I've got Natsu, Erza, Wendy" He paused. "And you"

"You'll always have me," she thought. Instead of saying it, she rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. He stiffened and his eyes went wide, but their hands remained locked together.

Gray cleared his throat and tugged on Lucy's hand. "We should probably get going. Thanks for letting us stop by, Han". They took one last glance at the glass shop and headed for the café.

"Feel free to come again! And bring yer girlfriend with you!" Han shouted after them with a toothy grin. Lucy smirked to herself when Gray didn't correct him.

She could sense his grip on her hand loosening. Gray was staring straight ahead, but Lucy could tell it was the same kind of look he'd had before, the night he walked her to her apartment. Instead of letting go, she squeezed his hand and smiled at him. A blush crept up his cheeks and he started walking hand in hand with her down the cobblestone streets. They didn't say anything else to each other, so Lucy waited for him to let go first.

He didn't.

* * *

There was no indoor seating left at Water Street Café. When Gray and Lucy stepped in, it smelled of freshly baked cookies and roasted coffee beans. There was a running waterfall by the front wall where they found a host to seat them. The host apologized for not having tables left indoors, and handed them both menus.

Outside, all of the tables were metal and there was ivy and hanging lightbulbs. Lucy giggled at watching the breeze continuously sweep Gray's hair in front of his face, and him having to fix it.

"This is fancier than I expected," he muttered, perusing his menu. Lucy had to agree. It was like dining at a full-blown restaurant instead of a tiny café. She hadn't been used to such elegant decorations and food since living at her father's estate.

As they talked and ate their food, Lucy tried again to think of ways to bring up the question. She went back to picturing what her comrades would do. Starting with the reason she was her in the first place - What would Erza say? Out of all her friends, she was the most straightforward.

Erza's voice played in her head. "Gray. Do you wish to spend the rest of our lives together?"

She shuddered. Erza was too intimidating. Lucy suddenly had more respect for Jellal.

What would her best friend, Levy say? The bespectacled, solid-script mage was the reader to her writer. If anyone in the guild had a mystery to solve, she was their designated researcher.

She imagined Levy's cheerful tone this time. "Hey Gray - I'll bet if you gave me three guesses, I could figure who you like"

 _Everyone knows you like Gajeel, Levy_ , she thought. In terms of romance, reading people like Juvia was a picture book. Reading Gray was an epic novel.

What would Natsu do? He was best friends with both of them…in fact, she hadn't thought about how he'd react to her and Gray hooking up.

Natsu's voice was booming and threatening. "You're not interested in Lucy, right? Because I'll clock your ass two ways from Saturday if you hurt her"

"Lucy?" asked Gray, nudging her foot with his.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"You dazed off a bit. You're not getting heat exhaustion right?" he said, glancing at her barely touched glass of lemonade. He leaned across the table and felt her forehead with his palm.

If her face wasn't hot before, it was certainly getting there now. Lucy took a deep breath. She needed to stop thinking about what other people would do. This was her battle. She would ask him her own way.

"I'm fine, really…I've been reflecting…and I wanted to thank you for helping me today. Really, you didn't have to go shopping, which is probably boring for you, and you didn't have to skip breakfast, and you didn't have to listen to me ramble about cakes, you didn't have to clear your schedule for me…"

Gray snorted. "Lucy, I think you've got it wrong. I didn't clear anything. Every time Juvia finds out I'm available on the weekend, she tries to ask me on a date. Thanks to you, I actually had a legitimate excuse this time. Usually, I say I picked up a one-person mission from the job boards"

"Oh," she said in a small voice. So that's why he agreed. "Well, I'm glad I could be your excuse," she said coldly, staring at her plate.

"Aww, don't be like that," he said, taking her hand that was resting on the table. Surprised, she looked up. "You're acting like I didn't enjoy it," he said, grinning.

Her heart leaped ten stories into the air. He was even holding her hand again!

"Besides, what are friends for?" he said.

Her heart crashed back to the ground. Back to the 'friends' status! Gray was the most confusing person on the planet. She had to ask him before she went mental.

"I was wondering...Juvia has been in love with you for such a long time. How come you've never dated her?" she asked.

He made a disgruntled sound and a crinkled his nose. "Because she's just a good friend. I thought that was pretty clear."

Thank god, she thought. He definitely didn't like Juvia, which meant there was still hope for her. "So, um, is there anyone in the guild you do like?" She held her breath and waited for his answer. _Please say yes...just say yes..._

He was silent for a moment and looked down at his plate. Then, he turned his head up ever so slightly to peer at her. However, all he said was "Maybe. It doesn't matter"

Argh!

"Gray, look at me," she demanded, pulling her hand away and starting directly into his eyes. There was no turning back now. "Is it me?" she whispered.

He turned redder than Erza's hair. "Look, I don't want to discuss this here, right now. Can't we eat and talk about it later?"

Lucy could feel a lump forming in her throat. "It's a yes or no question, Gray." Why hadn't he admitted it? Slowly, two possible conclusions rose up in her mind. One, that he had a crush on her a long time ago but didn't anymore. Two, he thought she was attractive and enjoyed being her friend, but nothing more than that. They would never date, never exchange presents on Valentine's Day, never kiss…

Gray seemed like he wanted to say something, but was unsure what. He finally opened his mouth to speak when suddenly they heard her best friend's voice.

"Lucy! Gray! I didn't expect to see you guys here!" It was Natsu, jogging up to them, with Happy flying not far behind. He was carrying a large, soggy sack over his shoulder. It smelled so dreadful Lucy had to cover her face with a napkin so she wouldn't gag.

"Lucy and Gray are on a dateee!" sang Happy. Lucy wanted to sink into the ground, while Gray looked like he was ready to beat Happy with a baseball bat.

"What? No way" said Natsu, laughing. His smile faded as he looked to Lucy and Gray, then the flowers on the table, then to all the couples sitting around them.

"What are you doing here, Natsu?" asked Lucy hoarsely. She forced herself to appear excited. If only they'd waited a few minutes to interrupt…

"And what the fuck is that smell?" interjected Gray, holding his nose. Several of the couples around them had similar expressions of distaste.

"Me and Happy were headed to the market to sell our fish," Natsu said in a much grimmer tone. He turned to Gray and said "Gray. I gotta have a word with you."

Lucy facepalmed. Could Natsu be any more transparent? If he had something to say about the two of them together, he could at least say it to her face. Gray sensed she was about to retort and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine. I'll be back in a few minutes" he assured.

He got up from the table and followed Natsu and Happy into a nearby alleyway. Lucy waited a few seconds and then tiptoed after them. She pressed her back against the wall and tried to hear what they were saying.

"What do you think you're doing with Lucy?" demanded Natsu. Lucy had never heard him sound so hostile.

"You likeee her!" teased Happy. Her breath caught in her throat. Maybe if Gray were too shy to say it to her, he would at least tell the truth to them. She leaned in closer so she could hear his answer.

"It ain't like that, cat!" growled Gray. "She asked me for some help with an errand, and then we got hungry. Nothing's going on"

Lucy clenched her fists and sighed. He didn't have a crush on her after all. What was the point in hiding it from both her and Natsu? She sank down onto the ground and buried her face in her hands. There were still shouts coming from the alleyway, but she didn't care anymore. Don't cry Lucy, you weren't sure anyway, you only started liking him three days ago…

Except it wasn't true. She'd never been so sure in her life. If she'd only liked him for a few days, why did it hurt so much? When she blinked, a teardrop fell into her palm. Then she felt another one land onto her head. But wait, teardrops didn't work like that….

"So Aquarius was right," said a voice from above her. Lucy squinted through her blurry vision to see Juvia standing next to her. The water mage glared at her and said bitterly, "So love rival is pursuing Gray."

"Juvia?" asked Lucy. She stood up and wiped her eyes. Juvia's expression was like a thundercloud brewing with emotion. Lucy gulped and backed away a few steps away so Gray and Natsu wouldn't hear. Juvia followed her until they were back by a wall near the restaurant. However, when Lucy looked closer, she didn't see rage, but instead tears in her eyes.

"Love rival must let Gray go" pleaded Juvia, clasping her hands together.

"Juvia…I don't know how to say this, but there's no point okay? He doesn't like either one of us," said Lucy, putting a hand on her shoulder. It was uncomfortable, but it was the truth.

Juvia hugged Lucy's waist and started crying into her shoulder. Lucy furrowed her brows. She hadn't expected Juvia to accept it so quickly. Juvia looked into her eyes and begged again. "Lucy, please, please let him go. For Juvia's sake"

Lucy extracted herself from Juvia's grip. "Um, I think you've misunderstood something-"

"No, it's you that doesn't understand!" said Juvia, choking back a sob. "Juvia feared this day would come. If love rival ever reveals to Gray-sama her affections for him then Juvia…Juvia's chances are zero," she said, dramatically throwing back her head and clutching her chest.

Lucy was getting frustrated. "Do you know something I don't? Hold on a sec…" A distant memory rose like a fog in Lucy's head. It was the two of them sitting in the Fairy Tail cafeteria, discussing what to do about Gray. "We made a deal, remember? May the best girl win?" She narrowed her eyes and steeled herself. It didn't matter if she liked Gray or not, it didn't mean Juvia could simply break their pact.

"One last time, Juvia is asking you to do this for her," the water mage repeated. "Gray-sama is everything to Juvia. Because of him, Juvia has discovered the sunshine, Juvia has found someone to live for, Juvia believes in love…"

"No" The words escaped Lucy before she could stop them. "He shouldn't be everything"

Juvia's lip quivered. "What?"

Lucy stepped forward, her arms shaking. "You-you have the audacity to join the best guild in the world and say that one person, one person doesn't even like you back, is everything to you?! What about all your other friends Juvia?" She took a deep breath and let go of the frustrations that were building up inside her. It was wrong, all wrong. No one should abandon their friends, their ambitions, and their self-purpose over a guy. "What about Lisanna, and how she's been so nice to you and helped you, but when it came time for you to help her you disappeared to chase Gray? What about Gajeel, your friend that you've known even before you joined Fairy Tail? What about Meredy, and Cana, and Erza, who all believe in you so much?"

Juvia blinked. Slowly, she turned her pout and teary eyes into an angry scowl. The water mage indignantly muttered, "Juvia cares for her friends very much…love rival is not the only person in Fairy Tail who appreciates them …"

Lucy wanted to laugh in her face. Did Juvia not realize that Lucy was supposed to be one of her friends too?

"Do you? Or do you only care about Gray?" She shook her head and thought of their unison raid in the Tower of Heaven together. That Juvia was long gone. "Once upon a time, the Juvia I knew would give her life to save a friend. Now she can't even keep her promises. So no, I won't stop liking Gray because of you"

A few curious couples from the café were now staring at them. A giant cloud passed overhead, leaving the two women in its shadow. As soon as Lucy had said she wasn't giving up on Gray, Juvia's tears dried up. She wore an expression Lucy hadn't seen since their first meeting when she was still a member of Phantom Lord. Juvia narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Lucy, but Lucy backed up against the wall with her arms crossed. It was time to stop enabling Juvia's behavior.

"Juvia thought Lucy would understand," said Juvia, shaking her head. "But even if she continues to pursue him…it will not stop Juvia. Juvia loves Gray more than rival ever could."

"You still don't get it," snarled Lucy "These choices aren't up to you! Loving Gray harder won't make him want you. You can't force anyone to love you in return. It's terrible and cruel and unfair…but it's a truth we all have to face, Juvia." She watched Juvia flinch slightly at her words. Two days ago, Lisanna was telling her about how much she missed Natsu but didn't want to keep him away from his friends. Just yesterday, she herself was miserable at the very thought of making Juvia unhappy. Loke had spoken the truth - You couldn't love someone without respecting them first. The more Lucy thought about it, the angrier she got. She stared Juvia square in the eyes and added, "The thing is Juvia, if he'd chosen you, I would have conceded. I would be happy for you. That's what love is…it's about wanting the other person to be happy. Even if it's not with you. But you've never given a shit about what Gray wants unless it's something you want too, huh? You love the idea of Gray, but I doubt you ever really loved him at all"

Suddenly, Lucy felt a searing pain in the back of her head. Juvia had summoned a giant hand of water and slammed Lucy into the brick wall with it. One finger warped around Lucy's throat, choking her. She could faintly hear screams, presumably coming from witnesses at the restaurant.

"You-you LIAR!" screamed Juvia into Lucy's face. "How dare you call Juvia's love not genuine?! You awful, lying, monster-"

Lucy struggled to pull the watery hand away from her neck. Her entire torso was pinned to the wall, and her arms were bent upwards and to the side. With all the might she could muster, she swung her elbow at Juvia and yelled, "Get off of me!"

Juvia yelped as Lucy's arm hit her in the nose, breaking her concentration. The enormous watery hand splashed to the ground and Lucy gasped for air and collapsed. A crowd of spectators had surrounded them, but through the commotion, they could hear two distinct familiar voices.

"Lucy! Juvia! What the hell is going on?" It was Gray, sprinting towards them.

"Why the hell are you guys fighting? This isn't like you!" said Natsu, following him.

The three of them rushed to Lucy and Juvia's side. Gray grabbed Juvia's shoulders to retrain her and Natsu helped Lucy stand up. Lucy examined her clothes and saw that the front of her dress was completely soaked. Blood was streaming from Juvia's nose. She let out a resounding wail reverberated through the streets as she discovered the blood all over her face.

"Stop hurting each other" whimpered Happy. "When Natsu and Gray fight, I know they'll be alright afterward. But when you two fight, it's scary"

"It's Lucy. She broke Juvia's nose!" snarled Juvia, pointing a finger as Gray handed her a napkin. Her hair was in tangles and she used the napkin to cover her face. "And she claims to be skilled with words…but she only used them to injure people"

Lucy had never felt so hurt in her entire life. A dam ruptured inside of her, and she exploded with fury.

"I've had enough! I've had enough from everybody!" she bellowed. Everyone's jaws dropped as they stared at her. She glared at Natsu first and said "Natsu, you have the audacity to be angry at me for hanging out with Gray when I'm with you for every other mission? And then you talk behind my back about it? I don't need to be protected by you over who I date!"

Then she turned to Juvia and felt an extra surge of anger. "You-you attacked me first! You come to me asking me the same thing for the thousandth time, and you still don't understand! You can't control whom Gray likes. And you can't stop me from liking him!"

Her face burned as she realized she'd just admitted to liking Gray…in front of Gray, his friends, and an entire crowd of people. But it didn't matter. There was a twisting feeling in her stomach and a searing pain in her heart as she faced Gray. Her voice came out small and defeated.

"And you…you had a lot of opportunities to give me a straight answer today, and you didn't. I guess I mean a lot less to you than I thought I did. Just do me a favor, okay? If you don't think of me as anything more than a friend, don't call me cute. Don't hold my hand. In fact, just don't touch me ever again."

She stormed off, not looking back at any of them. The twisting feeling in her stomach grew times worse. Her throat felt plugged up, as if she tried speaking another word it wouldn't even come. The only thing that comforted her was the idea of going home and curling into a ball.

What had she done? She hadn't been herself at all, antagonizing Juvia and hitting her in the face. Her reputation in the town was Lucy of Fairy Tail, the nice girl who used celestial magic and loved her guild. She refused to listen to a crying friend. She screamed at her friends in front of people. Forget liking her, Gray was going to hate her for this. Her entire guild was going to hate her.

As she walked back to her apartment, she felt a drop of water hit her head. Then another. And more and more until the sky itself echoed her pain, and no one could tell apart the water from the rain from the tears streaming down her own face.

* * *

Whew, finally done with Chapter 3. Have you ever been a 'Lucy' or a 'Juvia' where you and a friend liked the same person? I've actually been both (over the same guy too!), and the whole situation was a goddamn fiasco. So this chapter is partially inspired by my own experiences :)

Once more, I really appreciate anyone who reads this story and likes it. I can't wait for you to read the final part.


	4. Fire and Rain

A/N: If you've stuck with me throughout writing this, thank you sooo much! I'm sorry for being the slowest updater ever. I want you to know that not for one second did I want to abandon this fic, and it took so long because I was such a perfectionist with it. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you – I'd be happy to read, review, or peer-edit fellow Graylu stories. I hope you like the ending!

* * *

 **IV. Fire and Rain**

If Lucy could describe herself right now in one word, it would have been "numb". Numb from her outburst at her friends. Numb from contemplating what the other Fairy Tail members would say to her. Numb from insufficient sleep, walking all morning, and not finishing her lunch. Numb from curling her head to her knees for the last hour. And of course, numb from the torrent of rain that soaked her entire body.

It felt fruitless to keep waiting for one of her friends to show up. She wanted to talk to them so badly, to run back and revise the past. But she also needed them to understand her outrage. She wasn't Natsu's possession he had to protect. Neither was she Juvia's pawn or Gray's toy.

When she finally arose, there was a rain puddle on the floor. Groaning, she glanced out the dimly-lit window. It was still pouring as heavy as before, water pounding hard on the windows and rafters. She wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't judge her. Her first instinct was Loke, but she couldn't bear to think of his reaction and Aquarius's when they found out the results. Immortal spirits didn't need jewels to survive, but he'd still put his faith in her. She mentally recalled the rest of her spirits that weren't involved in the bet and could be summoned today: Horologium, Pyxis, Crux, and Capricorn.

She smiled wryly at imagining talking to Horologium or Pyxis about her love life. Crux's knowledge only extended to information about the other celestial spirits. She held up Capricorn's golden key, wondering to herself. Capricorn used to be contracted to her mother. At that moment, Lucy knew whom she wanted to talk with. She pulled a blank piece of parchment out of her drawer and started writing.

 _Dear Mom,_

 _I miss you so much. I wish I could confide to you in person because you'd know exactly what to do. Today I screwed up. Big time. I shouted at my best friend, punched my other friend, and made myself look like a total idiot in front of my would-be 'boyfriend'. Whom I didn't even consider my I liked until Mirajane got in my head. Whatever._

 _You taught me kindness, and for that, I'm forever grateful. Balancing kindness with self-worth is something I still have to work on. I don't want to let my friends boss me around or lead me on. But I hated seeing the injured expressions on their faces._

 _In my heart, I know our friendship is too strong to break. I know there has to be a solution somewhere –_ _I have no idea what it is yet, and I'll need some time. But until then, I'm going to keep you in my heart and my thoughts. Thank you for being the North Star in my sky._

 _Love forever,_

 _Your daughter Lucy_

As Lucy stared longingly at the letter on her desk, which was slightly damp from water stains, she heard a knock at the front door. She went to peer out the window and froze in place. It was _Gray_.

"Hey, you forgot your groceries" he yelled from below. He was holding the shopping bags she'd left at the restaurant. His normally spiky hair was flattened and soaked from the rain.

Lucy's heart jumped, but she quickly remembered how drenched she was too. It had taken him almost two hours to show up! She'd been crying & drowning on the floor for so long she couldn't remember dryness.

"Leave them on the doorstep" she huffed.

Gray set the bags by the door, then looked back up at her and said, "I'm not gonna leave until you let me in, Lucy." He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame, waiting.

Lucy scowled but curiosity got the best of her. Why had it taken him so long to show up? He'd teased with her a _ffections so much that their friends noticed._ He'd held her hand today, told her she looked pretty, and taken her to a fancy lunch. She had to know _why_ -why would he go through all that, for her to still not enough? She paced back and forth by the window, wondering if she could bear to be hurt any more today. Gray was still standing outside, occasionally glancing up to see if she was still there. Finally, she reasoned that she'd already paid for the groceries, and trudged down the steps to retrieve them. She took a deep breath, and with trembling hands, she turned the doorknob.

Gray watched at her with a funny expression on his face. She blinked back, unsure what to say. Of course, all her clothes were soaked and her hair was in wet tangles, but what was she supposed to do? Annoyed, she turned around to shut the door and go back in but felt Gray grab her arm and spin her around. He held both of her arms in his and pulled her closer so that his face hovered inches away from hers. And before Lucy could say a single word, before she could process how close his body was, he kissed her.

Every molecule in her body melted with the rain. His lips were just as soft as she'd imagined this morning, but they crashed down on her own with a hunger she'd never met before. By unconscious effort, she clung to his waist for support and felt him press her body against the wall in return. Her clothing stuck to her skin, cold wind blew on her face, but she didn't care, because all she cared about was Gray's touch and the fiery tingle that was spreading through her system.

When they finally surfaced, Lucy's heart was still racing a mile a minute. She could still feel his abs through his drenched shirt, their lower bodies stuck together, and heat rising to her cheeks.

"You-you have some explaining to do, Fullbuster!" she gasped, out of breath and still holding on to him.

With a flushed face, he glanced at the open door and mumbled, "So, I can come in then?"

Lucy nodded, still dumbstruck. The tingle in her body was still there. She wordlessly followed him as he carried her bags up the stairs and strode into her apartment. Gray set the bags down in the kitchen and walked back to the living room where Lucy was. Then he ruffled the water out of his hair and casually started taking his clothes off.

This couldn't be happening. She wasn't ready. She stood frozen, watching Gray take his pants off with wide open eyes. Before he could get to his boxers she cleared her throat.

"Hey! No stripping in my apartment!" she snapped. Just because they kissed didn't mean she could commit to… _that_.

"Aww, shit Luce, I forgot," said Gray, seeming genuinely embarrassed as he realized how the situation appeared. He started putting his jeans back on. "It's just that my clothes are all soaked. Force of habit," he said, shrugging.

The color returned to Lucy's face as she realized why Gray was undressing this time. She crossed her arms and glared at him for giving her a heart attack.

"Do you have a dry shirt I could borrow?" he asked, sheepishly avoiding her scowl.

"I'll see what I've got. You stay there," muttered Lucy, going to her bedroom. She opened the drawer where Gray's discarded clothes went. The team would hang out a lot at her apartment, and as hard as Gray tried not to he'd inevitably leave clothes at her place. Secretly, she'd always pretended to be more annoyed by his stripping tendencies than she really was. It was the weirdest habit she'd ever seen, but it didn't hurt that Gray had a rocking body. She picked out a pair of ripped jeans and a black t-shirt for him.

Then she opened one of the drawers that held her own shirts. Empty. Puzzled, she opened another one. Also empty. Blinking rapidly, she opened every single drawer in her armoire and found no clothes. As a clap of thunder sounded, she gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

Virgo had hung out all her clothes to dry. Lucy peered in the direction of her porch to see a glimpse of the laundry line swaying in the storm.

"Fuck!" she cursed. Her lazy laundry routine would definitely have to change in the future.

"You alright in there?" called out Gray from the living room.

"Doing great! Just getting some clothes!" she yelled back. There was a chance that Virgo and Loke had left some of the celestial world clothes behind. She unfurled the covers of her bed, hoping for one of the cute outfits they'd planned. _Please be the maid outfit…or at least the stripper outfit…please don't be ugly pajamas…_

She groaned as she uncovered the horse-print Sagittarius pajama set. Gray would have to like her no matter what she wore. She went to the bathroom to change and dry herself off. When she came back holding his clothes and a towel, she found him sitting in front of her fireplace. The flames crackled and filled her house with a glowing warmth. The light illuminated his face, and for a moment she stared at the familiar scar above his eyebrow from Galuna Island.

"I started up your fireplace, hope you don't mind," he said, giving her a timid smile. His eyes flicked over her pajama set, and Lucy swore she saw him stifle a laugh, but he didn't say anything.

Lucy was grateful for the heat. She handed him his clothes and a towel, and he went to the bathroom to change. When she sat down in front of the fire to wait for him, its warmth slowly took away her numbness. Finally, he came back and sat in front of the fireplace, facing her. He grabbed both of her hands in his.

"Lucy-," his voice cracked. "I'm really sorry. I never, ever wanted to hurt you"

Even though he was the one apologizing, Lucy felt her own heart sink too. She squeezed his hands gently and said, "I'm sorry, too. I should have waited for you instead of jumping to my own conclusions"

Gray coughed and looked at the ground. "Um, about your question from earlier, I guess I owe you some answers? Do you want them now, or-?"

She narrowed her eyebrows. "Spill the beans, Fullbuster" she commanded. She wanted to know everything.

* * *

 ** _Gray's story:_**

 _"Hey Natsu, come fight me!" challenged Gray._

 _Now that Natsu was back, it was brawling time. He spun around to search for his rival and instead saw a cute, blonde girl gawking at him instead. It was hard not to stare back - the new girl had a shapely figure as well as the most adorable face he'd ever seen. He was temporarily thrilled until he realized why she was staring – his clothes were missing again._

 _A sudden punch in the gut from Natsu sent him back to fighting mode. Somehow, after kicking him back, he'd either lost (or taken off) his underwear. He walked up to the new girl and said the first thing that popped into his brain._

 _"_ _Excuse me miss, could I borrow your underwear?" he asked, and regretted it immediately._

 _"_ _Ahhhhhh!" the blonde girl shrieked and whacked him with a nearby bat._

 _"_ _I probably deserved that one," said Gray wincing from the ground._

 _After the brawl finally quieted down when Master Makarov entered, Gray found out from Happy that the girl's name was Lucy. For some reason, Natsu kept calling her Luigi or Loopy. He went to get some water from the bar and watched Lucy get her brand new guild mark on her hand. He was fascinated – no woman had ever boldly rejected him like that before._ And _she was impressively strong, which made her even more attractive. Perhaps the biggest thing that drew him to her was the way she moved and talked to his fellow guild members – like they already meant everything to her._

 _"_ _Nice first impression," said Cana, still hugging her barrel._

 _"_ _Whatever. I've got my pants back," said Gray._

 _Cana shook her head at him. "Careful where you tread, striptease. That girl's greatest wish was to join Fairy Tail and I don't want you to frighten her off on her first day"_

 _"_ _Obviously she's tougher than she looks," said Gray, rubbing the spot that Lucy had hit him on. "Maybe we should be worried about you giving her alcohol poisoning"_

 _"_ _No way. The only thing this barrel is going to hurt is my liver," said Cana, as she tipped the ale directly into her mouth._

 _Gray snuck a peek at Lucy. She was ducking in a corner, still bewildered by the inter-guild destruction. She walked around a bit and picked up something white that was lying on the ground. She grimaced as she realized it was Gray's missing shirt. Gray rushed over to retrieve it and properly greet Lucy._

 _"_ _This is yours, right?" she said, gingerly holding the shirt out to him._

 _"_ _I'll try to keep it on this time" he apologized. Somehow being around Lucy only begged his subconscious to strip more. He pulled on his shirt, extended his hand to her, and said "The name's Gray. It's nice to meet you, Lucy"_

* * *

 _Gray could hardly believe his fortune. After ages of being accompanied by his teammates, or feeling Juvia breathe down his neck, Lucy had asked him to spend time together by themselves. True, it was for a favor, but with her it didn't feel like a chore at all. She'd even seemed pleasantly surprised when he asked her to lunch._

 _They'd wandered all over the market, laughing and pointing their observations out to each other. Lucy even held his hand once, though he wasn't sure if it was for comfort or because she was flirting. Lunchtime came and Gray was still the happiest he'd been all week. But what he wasn't expecting, was Lucy to actually confront him about his feelings for her._

 _"So, um, is there anyone in the guild you do like?"_

 _Gray froze and turned away. It was very obviously her, but what if she didn't feel the same way? He was suddenly aware of the loud buzz of people talking around them. He peeked up at Lucy. She was still waiting for an answer._

 _"Maybe. It doesn't matter" he said, hoping she'd drop the subject for now._

 _"_ _Gray, look at me," she insisted. Gray nervously faced her as she asked, "Is it me?"_

 _He had to tell her, but he couldn't. She was too close, to special to him. He could feel his face heating up and swore to himself he'd tell her eventually. "Look, I don't want to discuss this here, right now. Can't we eat and talk about it later?"_

 _However, Lucy didn't budge. "It's a yes or no question Gray."_

 _Resigned, Gray tried to form an answer in his mind. "You're adorable and I want to make out with you". No, that was too much. "Of course I like you, idiot". That was too harsh. But 'yes'…'yes' was insufficient to describe how much he truly adored the girl sitting in front of him. How important she was to him. She was bright, and compassionate, and beautiful…_

 _"Lucy! Gray! I didn't expect to see you guys here!" said Natsu. Happy flew not far behind him._

 _Gray wanted to kick himself for not speaking up sooner. After a brief conversation involving a lot of hostile energy, they confronted each other in the alleyway next to the restaurant. When Gray explained that they were here to pick up ingredients for a cake, Natsu blinked. Then he held his stomach and roared with laughter._

 _"_ _A cake? Man, you guys are dumb, just go to the bakery!"_

 _"_ _It's what Lucy wanted, idiot!" Gray shot back. If it was up to him he would have bought the first strawberry cake he saw and been done._

 _"_ _I don't see why she would take you along instead of me anyway," said Natsu, folding his arms. Was he actually jealous?_

 _"_ _Probably cause she knows you'll burn the entire kitchen down, pyro freak!" Gray was getting increasingly annoyed at his friend's intrusion. Natsu and Lucy were tied at the hip all the time, and he couldn't handle her being gone one day? No…it had to be more significant than that. It was their guild rivalry, and up until now, Lucy was always Team Natsu._

 _"_ _Who you calling pyro freak, popsicle stick!"_

 _"_ _You couldn't bake a cake if it walked into the oven for you! Ever since you stopped learning from Lisanna, half your diet has been fish."_

 _Mirajane was the best cook in the guild but passed down much of her skill to her sister. Gray remembered him and Cana teasing Natsu about playing 'house' with Lisanna all the time when they were younger._

 _Natsu's fists tightened at the mention of Lisanna. "You shut the hell up," he snarled, stepping closer to him._

 _"_ _It's none of your business what Lucy does in her spare time," countered Gray in an equally threatening tone. Heck, Lucy came to Fairy Tail to escape her overprotective father. She sure as hell didn't need another one._

 _"_ _You guys, not now," interjected Happy, flying in between them. "Natsu, let's just ask Lucy after we sell our fish"_

 _"_ _No! I want to talk to her now!"_

 _"_ _Like hell you will. She doesn't belong to you or anyone else-"_

 _Several high-pitched shrieks cut through the air, halting their conversation. Gray and Natsu stopped and glimpsed out of the alleyway in the direction it came from. He and Natsu sprinted out of the alleyway to see what was wrong._

 _It was Lucy and Juvia, somehow fighting with each other. Juvia had pinned Lucy against the brick wall with a giant watery hand that was slowly warping around her throat. Gray had seen Juvia distraught before, but never like this. Her eyes were teary but also had a wave of crazed anger inside them. Meanwhile, Lucy's face was flushed, starving for oxygen, and her hands balled up into fists. He could hear Natsu yelling Lucy's name but she was too focused on struggling against Juvia's watery grip. However, when Juvia leaned closer, Lucy took her chance and elbowed Juvia in the face, connecting with her nose._

 _When they finally reached them, Juvia was crying and holding her nose. Luckily, Lucy appeared uninjured, just waterlogged. Gray and Natsu asked them what was going on, still shocked at seeing the two of them fighting. Gray pulled a napkin out of his pocket to give to Juvia, who had blood dripping down her face._

 _Gray was stunned as Lucy broke like a dam in front of the whole crowd. He watched in awe as his normally cheery friend berated Natsu for interfering in her life. As Lucy turned to Juvia, Gray's heart skipped several beats when he heard her words…words about_ him _. He deduced that Juvia must have followed them, and was trying to stop them from hanging out. He blinked when he heard Lucy declare she couldn't control how she felt about him. So…did that mean…_

 _Lucy's final words answered his question. But they also cut through him like a dagger. She thought he was leading her on. But it wasn't true, it wasn't what he'd meant to do. He wanted to tell her so badly. As she stormed off into the distance, that's what he resolved to do._

 _"_ _Lucyyyy!" Natsu called after her. When she didn't turn around, he said to Gray "I'm gonna go after her"_

 _"No," said Gray sharply. "If there's any time in my goddamn life I'll ever ask you for a favor it's now – you are going to let me talk to Lucy. I'm the one that caused all this"_

 _"_ _But she's upset with me too!"_

 _"_ _I'll take care of it. Let's help Juvia" he said firmly._

 _Happy looked at Natsu and back at Gray and began helping Juvia to her feet. It took a few minutes, but they finally coaxed her into talking. Besides her bloody nose, she didn't appear to be injured, merely shaken._

 _"_ _Chin up Juvia, it's only a broken nose. Gray and I have given each other broken noses on purpose. Wendy'll have ya fixed up in no time," said Natsu._

 _"_ _You'll be alright Juvia," agreed Happy. "You need to come with us though."_

 _"_ _As long as Gray-sama does not love Juvia, Juvia fears she may never be alright," she said, sighing. As she spoke, a shadow fell over the group. There were dark clouds swirling in the sky, the same kind that appeared whenever Juvia had tears in her eyes._

 _Gray looked up at the sky and looked at Juvia again sadly. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to make her feel worse. But it had to be him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke to her._

 _"_ _Juvia, I can't-I can't love you the way you want. I've tried okay? And it's not something I can control." He put his hand on her shoulder, expecting her to object. Instead, he felt a raindrop splash onto his arm. Then one on his neck. Juvia's sadness was beginning to engulf the whole town in a drizzle. The crowd from before had thinned considerably, and now the last few stragglers were heading indoors to escape._

 _Juvia slowly turned to face Gray. The blind fury in her eyes from before was gone. In its place were tears and something Gray had never seen before –acceptance. Juvia was finally seeing through the perfect image of him she'd constructed in her head. "Gray-sama will never change his mind?" she whispered. When Gray shook his head, the rain intensified, rattling off the shutters and outdoor tables. He hesitated, then gave her a small hug. He cared about all of his friends, and she was no different. He was glad he could be the turning point in her life. But now she had to figure out a way to make the rain disappear on her own._

 _"_ _I can't be your sun, Juvia," he reflected sadly. "Your world can't orbit around me"_

 _"_ _But Juvia does not know what do without you" whimpered Juvia. Natsu and Happy put their arms around her shoulder. There was now a gale blowing all around them, uprooting the table umbrellas at Water Street Café._

 _"_ _You still have me. You still have all of us. But you have to move on. Not for me. But for yourself" said Gray. He knew moving on would be the best thing for Juvia. She had so much passion to give, it wasn't fair if it was wasted on him._

 _"There's lots of stuff you can do around here Juvia! You can come with Happy and me on missions. You can go on picnics with Erza," said Natsu. He gestured at Gray with a mischievous grin. "And there are way better guys around here than this glum snowflake"_

 _Juvia still hadn't moved, wrapping her arms around herself. The other three watched her as she scrunched up her face and seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments. Finally, she asked quietly, "Will Lucy and Juvia ever be friends again? Juvia…Juvia enjoyed that"_

 _"_ _If there's one thing I can promise you, it's that Lucy would never give up on her friends," said Natsu. Gray nodded in agreement._

 _"_ _Please come with us so we can let Wendy heal you," said Happy._

 _At last, Juvia moved. He watched the three of them trek down the street in the direction of the Fairy Tail dorms. He could hear Natsu and Happy suggesting various hobbies to Juvia as they walked._

 _"_ _How about fishing? No, not your thing?" asked Natsu._

 _"_ _But you would be so good at it!" whined Happy. "Natsu, what if Juvia loved a new person?"_

 _"_ _Ooh, great idea Happy! Let's see, who's available…how about Laxus?"_

 _"_ _Excuse me?" said Juvia, flabbergasted._

 _Gray snorted and suppressed a laugh. If Juvia ever did the impossible and fell in love with Laxus, she'd have to go through Freed first. Before the three of them turned the corner, Natsu still listing off suitors, he saw Juvia roll her eyes and a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. The storm was still blowing full force, but he knew it would come to pass. Now it was time to tell Lucy the truth._

* * *

"All this time and you-you didn't tell me?!" said Lucy, her jaw hanging open. It felt like the bottom of her stomach had just dropped out in shock. Gray was interested in her from the moment they'd met. She shook her head rapidly, getting some of the water out of it. When she stopped, Gray was still sitting in front of her, not a dream but real as could be. For the first time since he'd entered her apartment, he broke out in laughter. She couldn't see what was funny about the situation at all.

"It started as something small, " said Gray, tilting his head and gazing upwards thoughtfully "But the better I got to know you, the more time we spent one on one…I had to accept it morphed into a dangerous fantasy. And I consider you the smartest person in the guild, so I thought you'd be able to figure it out. I wasn't going to say anything because I thought you didn't feel the same way". He shrugged his shoulders and gave her a tiny smile. "I guess I got a little freaked out earlier when you kinda just asked me out of the blue"

"That part was kinda Erza's fault," said Lucy, smiling meekly. "She sort of found my journal and said if I didn't ask you about it, she would". Although they did get their feelings out eventually, she thought. Maybe Erza deserved a cake after all.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Gray, rolling his eyes.

"Hold on, you really think I'm the smartest in the guild?" she asked. A lot of people had told her she was pretty in her lifetime, but not as many noticed her wit. Though she didn't feel particularly intelligent at the moment. Mirajane, Gemini, Virgo, Juvia, and even _Happy_ all caught on before she did. Then again, solving riddles was always going to be easier than trying to figure out men.

"I know every person in this guild, so yeah," said Gray nonchalantly. He sucked in his breath, picked up Lucy's hand, and held it in both of his with a hopeful look on face. "So um, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Will you still give me a chance?"

Lucy could still hear the rain pounding on her windows. So much was happening, so quickly. And that sudden thunderstorm - now she knew why it was happening. Whatever pain she felt an hour ago must be ten times worse for Juvia. But she couldn't simply sacrifice her own happiness…

"I-I think so. I mean, yes. I mean, gosh, I want to do this, I really want to…I never thought about the possibility of you and me until three days ago. I still have to make things right with Natsu and Juvia. But I _promise_ , I want to try" babbled Lucy. She could not live her life knowing she didn't take this chance. And yet, she could not have it rain forever.

"I get it. It's a lot to process for me too," he replied, smiling at her. She smiled back as he squeezed her hand. A flash of lightning lit up the room and they both glanced towards the kitchen window where it came from. Lucy suddenly remembered the groceries Gray returned to her and the whole reason they went out today.

"By the way, thanks for bringing my groceries," she said.

"It wasn't a problem. Forgot to mention, I found the dumb food coloring. That's why it took a while to get here," he said.

Her eyes went wide with surprise. "You did?" she said. Food dye was the one thing they weren't able to find that morning.

"I didn't know what colors you wanted though. I just got our favorite colors…blue and pink for you, black for me, and red for Erza."

"That-that was really thoughtful of you," she said. It was the oddest assortment of colors and Lucy had no idea what to do with it. Black frosting, seriously? Oh well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. "Do you want to bake it?" she asked him, pointing to the kitchen.

He shrugged and said "Spent all that time searching for the ingredients, and the weather's still crappy outside. We might as well."

They both shuffled over to the kitchen and Lucy grabbed _Of Sugar Mice and Gingerbread Men_ from her bookshelf. As she recited the recipe steps, Gray preheated the oven and started to work on blending the wet ingredients. She gathered the dry ingredients and mixed them in a separate bowl. He mixed the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients as she prepped the cake pan. Finally, they popped it on the oven, and both sat down in front of it wiping their brows.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," said Gray.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "That was only baking a normal cake. The tough part is the glaze"

He groaned. "So how long do we have to wait?"

"About half an hour" she replied. She stood up and turned the knob on her kitchen timer so they would be alerted. "Is there anything you wanna do while we wait?"

Gray got up and stood behind her so that she could feel his steady breath tickle her hair. He leaned in and spoke quietly and enticingly next to her ear, "I can think of a few things."

Lucy's eyes widened as she felt him put his hands on her waist. She let out a tiny gasp of surprise and tipped her head back as Gray trailed small kisses up her neck, then her cheek, and finally her lips. This time, she kissed back sooner, eager to explore as much of his lips as possible. She shuddered involuntarily at the touch of his cold fingers running down her spine.

"Maybe not in the kitchen," she murmured between breaths. He didn't stop, but instead lifted her up so that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders, and carried her to her bed. She blushed as his body brushed up against her once more, and gradually moved her hands to his hair. He softly moaned as she bit his lip and pulled away. His hands snaked all around her upper body, grabbing fistfuls of her hair, pulling her waist closer, and grazing down her back. The rest of the room seemed to spin around her, blurring her sense of time.

Her eyes were closed, but she could feel his cool hands brush against her ribs. She squealed and twitched away at the tickling sensation. "Geez, your hands so cold!" she exclaimed.

"It comes with the ice magic. Should I wear gloves or something?" he asked, cautiously scaling back.

"No, I'll get used to it, but – hey! Why is _my_ shirt off?" she asked, finally opening her eyes.

Gray froze in place and his eyes darted to Lucy's pajama shirt, which was now lying on the floor. Somehow, with his skill, he'd managed to steal her shirt and leave her with her bra.

"What did I say about no stripping in my apartment?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Being less clothed didn't bother her. But the fact that Gray's habit had evolved to the point where he didn't even know he was taking off other people's clothes was concerning.

"Technically, you never said that rule applied for you?" he said, raising an eyebrow back and pointing at her. "Look, I'm sorry. But if we wanna do this, you've gotta ease up on that rule someday. Since I can't take my own clothes off, I have to take off yours. And not to make excuses or anything, but those hideous pajamas have got to go"

Her cheeks reddened at how forward he was being, and how despite it being hideous, he still wanted to take off her last dry shirt. "Fine. But until that day, you're gonna have to wait" she asserted.

"Some things are worth waiting for," he said, reaching down and picking her shirt off the floor.

His words rung through her mind as he handed back her shirt. Instead of putting it back on, she clutched it in a ball, thinking. Her mouth curved into a smile as she finally comprehended…there was indeed, a way to make everyone happy.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, smiling back. He reached up and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I know what to do."

* * *

 _Monday, 10:00 AM, Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Expected showers until late afternoon._

"Absolutely stunning. Picturesque. Symbolic" muttered Erza to herself.

Lucy and Gray snuck glances at each other and tried to hide their snickering. They couldn't eat the entire cake by themselves, so they'd bought it for the guild to share. For the past ten minutes, they'd been entertained by Erza struggling to compose herself at how striking it was.

"This cake is too beautiful to eat!" she declared.

"Excuse me?! I didn't spend hundreds of jewels on it to sit and grow mold!" Lucy rebutted.

They'd mixed blue and red icing to create purple. Then they poured blue, purple, and pink streaks across the black glaze background. Finally, Lucy cleaned off a paintbrush and splattered white dots over the whole thing. The results? It was a galaxy. More symbolically, a frozen universe. Gray had to admit they wouldn't find that at the local bakery.

Gray rolled his eyes, picked up a knife, and motioned to cut the cake into slices. However, Erza swiftly knocked the knife out of his hand. It flew through the air and across the room, where it impaled one of Reedus's painting canvases.

"No! We must have a picture of it first!" said Erza, glaring at Gray.

"You know what? Fine. I ain't the one who's going to tell Reedus his landscape art is botched" he said.

"Hurry up, I just want to eat it" groaned Lucy.

Erza went to the bar to ask Mirajane for a camera. When she came back, she snapped several photos of the cake from various angles. By then, more Fairy Tail members had started to file in, including Natsu, Happy, and Team Shadowgear. After she was done taking pictures, Ezra didn't bother to grab another knife and instead cut the cake with her sword.

Lucy closed her eyes as she finally bit into a piece of the cake that had caused her so much emotional turmoil. When the three of them finished their portions, they sliced up the rest and put it on small plates to hand out.

"I shall take some for Mirajane and Cana," said Erza, picking up two plates and heading towards the bar excitedly.

"I'll grab something for the rest of the team," said Gray, grabbing slices for Natsu, Happy, and Wendy.

Lucy was about to take a piece and greet Levy, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Juvia quietly slink into the guild hall. Her face was emotionless as the day they'd met, and she was the only guild member so far that bought an umbrella. She also had a small white bandage on her nose. Immediately, Lucy changed course and rushed over to her instead.

Juvia blinked at her sudden appearance. "Lucy. Juvia had something to talk to you about" she said. Her face was still unreadable.

Lucy twitched and wrung her hands together. "Actually, I had something I wanted to tell you too. But you can go first."

"No, you go," insisted Juvia. Her gaze was so steely that Lucy decided it might be better to go first after all.

Lucy took a deep breath and began. "I'm really sorry I said those things to you. However angry each of us may have felt, it still wasn't right for me to dismiss your feelings. Which is why I decided…I won't date Gray until you're ready to move on. I know he's your first love, and it takes time to heal. I want to move forward in a way that doesn't hurt you."

She'd decided on Saturday. Kissing Gray was indescribable. She was already looking forward to the feeling of his gentle hands roaming through her hair again. She already wanted to spend an entire day with only him again. There was no way she was giving him up. But if she could be with him and still make her friends happy, all of those moments were worth waiting for.

Juvia was silent for a moment, then gave Lucy a small smile. "Juvia is touched, but doesn't need you to do that anymore. Juvia has a better solution," she declared, beaming.

"You don't? But-but what about the rain on Sunday, and the weather today?" said Lucy. The thunderstorms had continued through the weekend. When she woke up this morning, it was drizzling and dreary, but the storm wasn't as intense as on Saturday afternoon.

The water mage put her palm up to gesture Lucy to stop talking. She then cleared her throat and began explaining. "Juvia locked herself in her room all Sunday. She tried really, really hard to make the thunderstorms go away," said Juvia with staring at the floor. Lucy felt a knot forming in her stomach.

"Then she ate seven tubs of ice cream," Juvia continued. Then she wrung her hands and grimaced. "Then she got sick. But after that, Juvia did some deep thinking. This gloominess today-" she said, gesturing to the sky through the window, "- is not caused by me. Sometimes it rains without my help, remember?" she asked, and giggled. Lucy gave her a tiny smile back but was still confused.

Juvia took in a deep breath and continued, "Anyways, Mirajane revealed a while ago to Juvia that she is close to not making the S-class trials for next year. But Juvia's former love rival is very close to snatching her spot. Therefore…Juvia found a new passion and decided she doesn't want a love rival anymore. Instead, Lucy will be Juvia's guild rival! Like Natsu and Gray!"

Lucy could only imagine the look on Makarov 's face when he could hear about another fierce guild rivalry. Maybe he'd finally go insane from the property damage bills and retire as guild master indefinitely.

"I-I'd be honored to be rivals with you!" said Lucy. She was immensely relieved that Juvia didn't hate her. She was used to water attacks by now. If it helped Juvia move on, if it helped Gray not have to deal with her advances, she would willingly get thrown in the river seven days a week. It would be amazing training practice if either of them were going to the S-class trials again.

"Let's start now, Lucy!" challenged Juvia, bending her arms back into a signature move. "Water slic-"

"Wait!" yelled Lucy, throwing both hands in front of her in a 'stop' motion. Juvia put her arms down, frowned and tapped her foot. "I need to tell Natsu and Gray we're doing this, otherwise they'll think we hate each other" clarified Lucy.

Juvia furrowed her brows for a moment, then registered what Lucy was referring to and nodded in agreement. "That is a clever idea" she agreed. "We shall start after you make your announcement"

Lucy nodded. Before she left to go see Natsu, Juvia surprised her by pulling her into a tight hug. "Juvia is very sorry for everything too," she whispered into her ear. Then she started to sniff the air around her. "Something smells quite delicious…"

"There's cake over by where Erza is. Gray and I bought it to share it with everyone," said Lucy, hoping Erza hadn't devoured it all already.

"Cake!" squealed Juvia, letting her go and dashing towards the bar.

Lucy didn't have to work hard to locate Natsu and Happy since they came hurrying up to her a few seconds after Juvia left.

"Lucy! I heard you had a space cake or something?" said Natsu, sitting down at the nearest wooden table and patting the seat next to him.

"Coming right up!" she said, grinning and quickly fetching two plates of galaxy cake for them. As Natsu and Happy's eyes lit up, she sat down next to them and said "Listen…I'm sorry for yelling at you. I know you were just watching out for me"

"Eet's alrife" said Natsu, with his entire mouth full of cake. He swallowed an enormous gulp and wiped his mouth with his arm. "I guess I got kinda jealous. I'm sorry." He scanned the guild and locked eyes on Gray, who was handing cake out to Wendy and Carla. "I still get to beat up Gray though, right?"

"Wait, why? Just because?!" cried Lucy.

"Didn't he break your heart?" asked Happy.

"What? No! He-he did the opposite," she said, a deep blush forming on her face. When she said those words Natsu's eyes popped out of his head and Happy slowly broke out into an "I-knew-it" grin.

"You and- _ice princess_?" he said, pointing at Gray, who was now walking over to them. "What the heck…you-you two are actually together now?"

Lucy shrugged. She'd told Gray that they could start dating whenever Juvia got over her feelings, she hadn't expected it to happen so soon though. Her eyes softened as she gazed at her treasured companion, the reason she was here at Fairy Tail in the first place. "It doesn't mean I won't hang out with you and Happy. We're a team. Nothing can change that," she promised. "You always make room for the people you care about."

Natsu didn't respond for a moment. If Lucy hadn't known him as well as she did, she might have missed the quick peek over by the bar, where Lisanna had popped up. He crossed his arms and seemed to be still processing the news as Gray sat down next to Lucy.

"Alright. But if he ever does break your heart, I get first dibs on pummeling his face" said Natsu, finally responding and grinning at Gray.

"Flaming asshole," grumbled Gray at Natsu. "I'd punch myself in the face before I did that to her". Her heart swelled as she felt the familiar rustle of his fingers through her hair.

"Juvia doesn't seem to be upset as I thought she'd be," noted Happy.

"Oh, about that. Juvia and I aren't 'love rivals' anymore. We're guild rivals" said Lucy. She waved at Juvia across the room, who was happily stuffing cake in her mouth.

"Guild rivals?" said Erza, joining them and sitting next to Natsu. "So that means…," she said, her eyes moving from Lucy and Gray to Juvia, to the empty plates of cake. A smile slowly spread across her face and she said, "As predicted, my idea was a success! This is some big news!"

"What's the big news?" said Levy, showing up next to them and holding a plate of cake.

"Levy! Glad you're back!" said Lucy, her eyes lighting up at seeing her friend.

"These two have finally realized their feelings for each other," said Erza.

"Wait, what?" said Levy, her eyes darting back and forth from Gray to Lucy. "You-him-dating-" she stammered until she finally slammed her fists on the table and exclaimed, "I miss everything!"

"What did you miss?" said Gajeel, walking up behind her and slapping his hand on her shoulder.

"They likeeee each other!" teased Happy, pointing at Gray and Lucy.

For the first time, neither of them objected. Lucy blushed again and peeked over at Gray. He was smiling, and something about his smile told her it was different this time. Gone were the days of wondering, 'love rivals', and pining. Instead, it was the beginning of something remarkable. She knew they were about to both say the same thing.

 _"_ _Yes, we do"_

* * *

Yay, I finished my first story :D Again thank you so much for all the reviews/follows/favorites, they make my heart swell. Also, if you want to see the cake Gray and Lucy made, just google "mirror glaze galaxy cake" and there should be similar pictures. They are pretty freaking cool.

Thanks for reading this 'originally-a-oneshot-what-was-I-thinking' fic! Until next time :)


End file.
